Two Lives
by YarningChick
Summary: Baron's torn between loving memories of his dead fiance and silent admiration for Haru's spirit. But when her past comes back to harm her, will Baron be able to come to terms with the love of his past to help her, and maybe gain a love for the future?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

The birds sailed lazily above Haru's head as she headed for the hospital. She had started volunteering there after the Cat Kingdom incident a few months before. The dark brunette had decided to keep her hair short, so that she wouldn't be tempted to hide behind her locks again. Her personal life had picked up as well; Machida had started asking her out, but Haru always turned him down. Hiromi had given her a lot of static about it. The two were walking towards the hospital after school.

"Come on, Haru. Machida's practically at your feet." The brunette shrugged.

"So what? I already told you, it doesn't matter anymore."

"You're crushing on someone else, aren't you?" Haru's back went ramrod straight.

"What would give you that idea?" Hiromi rolled her eyes, since it was plainly obvious.

"Oh, I don't know. How about the fact that you were crushing on Machida for almost two years, and before you even know that he's dumped his girlfriend, you suddenly don't care? Plus there are other things about you that have been changing."

"I'm well aware that I haven't been late to class in forever."

"Not just that, it's everything else! I already know his first initial is 'B'." Haru wheeled around fast.

"How did you know?"

"When you were crushing on Machida, you scribbled his name all over your notebooks. When you changed them out, you started writing 'B' in calligraphy all over the new ones." Haru smiled softly as her eyes faded once more.

"Then I stand guilty as charged."

"And what about your tendency of getting involved with other people's problems?"

"I did that before, Hiromi."

"But never to this extreme! What is the point of teaching a kid how to skate or baking birthday cupcakes for a little girl who had a sick mom if all you get is the occasional warm fuzzies? And what about this volunteer work obsession?"

"You know, if more people were willing to do those kinds of things, the world would be much better off."

"You can't change the world, Haru."

"No, but I can try to make it a better place, just like you can. Here's my stop, good luck with your lacrosse match."

"You still haven't told me the guy's name."

"Maybe later, bye!"

Haru felt like a coward for dodging out of a question like that. But what was she supposed to do? Tell her best friend that she got kidnapped and almost married to a cat after she became one, and the only reason she's still alive and human is because a cat doll, piggy cat, and a stone crow came to her rescue? Or that she fell in love with the cat doll?

_Baron…_Haru thought as she changed into her volunteer uniform and washed up. _You would have thought that I'd have stopped thinking about you by now, at least romantically._ Every time she tried to distance herself from his memories, her mind would wander back to that amazing waltz that she occasionally hummed, or to how his arms felt when he carried her up the side of the cat tower. Not to mention how her heart leapt into her throat when she first saw him in the window. Haru knew she should give Machida a chance, since there was no way in heck that a relationship like the one she was thinking about could ever work between a figurine and a human.

Even a human that cats found more attractive than other humans. Oh, well.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Baron was enjoying a cup of tea while he reviewed his paperwork. There has been considerably less of it with each passing year, as more and more people turned to other sources or themselves in order to solve their problems. In fact, he hadn't had a client since Haru Yoshioka, and hadn't had one in the five years preceding her arrival at the Bureau.

_Haru…_Baron couldn't help but be pleased that he had managed to help her with more than her unwanted marriage proposal. He occasionally sent Toto or Muta to check in on her, but they needed to keep their distance so that she could return to the ordinary life that she had fought so hard to keep. He knew that she had started helping others with their problems more actively than before. Baron placed his quill back into the inkwell and closed his eyes. He would have seen Haru himself by now, but then her words would float back to him.

"_Baron, just for the record, I think I may have a little crush on you."_ He wasn't all that surprised, considering how she had blushed or had turned more cat-like each time he had held her close. He hadn't done that with his other clients. Of course, none of his other clients made him want to, since they were usually cats that wanted help finding a gift for a mother or boyfriend, or had just needed someone to listen to their problems.

Perhaps that is why he couldn't stop thinking of Haru. In many ways, she was a scared little girl when they had first met, so scared of causing someone else problems that she had tried to leave twice before she fully accepted his help. Baron grinned widely when he remembered the way her face had lit up after recognizing Yuki and her admittance that maybe she had done the right thing after all. He was even more entertained at remembering the way Haru had defended herself from the Cat King. The look in her eyes was enough to silence his fears about her confidence. Any one that can tell off a king of any sort could handle whatever life threw at her.

"_**Also for the record, I admire a young woman that speaks from the heart."**_

Okay, maybe it wasn't the best thing to say to a girl who admits her feelings like that, but what was he supposed to do? He was promised to another, and he didn't want to tell Haru _that_ instead of admiring her honesty. Why did he feel hesitant about telling the human girl about his fiancé? He had hadn't seen her in years, and had been keeping himself busy with Bureau business. Baron conjured up her image in his mind; an elegant white cat figurine, built much like himself, and wearing a lavender summer dress, holding a frilly white parasol over one shoulder as she smiled warmly at him. Then, for some reason, she shifted into Haru, who was smiling at him the exact same way. He groaned and put his head between his hands. He tried to forget how his heart reacted when he first saw the human girl through the window.

"All right, Baron?" Toto had just flown in from the balcony window to stare at Baron. "You getting a headache?" The cat doll shook his head in an attempt to clear it.

"Possibly. How's Haru?"

"Doing well, but I just caught a bit of interesting information." The orange cat raised his head.

"Oh?"

"Turns out that there's a young man who's pursuing Haru relentlessly." Baron stood from his chair quickly, his green eyes aflame.

"Indeed?" His tone sounded more like a statement.

"Yes, but Haru's been discouraging him. He doesn't appear to be listening though."

"I see." Baron sat back down, wondering what was wrong with him. It's good that Haru is attracting men of her own species, but why had he reacted like it was a bad thing? Why had he been so relieved that Haru wasn't interested in other men?

"…_I may have a little crush on you."_ Could that have been why she was turning the young man down? She couldn't be waiting for Baron; they weren't even the same species. Truth be told, even if they hadn't gotten out of the portal in time and she was stuck as a cat forever, they _still_ wouldn't have been able to have a relationship. He was wood, and therefore never aged, but Haru would. How would things be when she's old, and he still looks young?

_Why am I pursuing this line of thought so thoroughly? I am promised to another._ But he had felt her death some twenty years before, and so would be unlikely to raise objections._ Our maker created us to be together, to never be whole apart. I was lucky that I received a whole soul eventually, but it still has ties to my fiancée._ Toto tried to talk to him.

"Why don't you go see her, if you're so concerned?"

"…_crush on you." _That would have only complicated matters further. Baron sighed.

"Perhaps another time."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

In another part of Tokyo, two men barricaded themselves in an old hotel room, so as not to be disturbed.

"This had better not be another dead end, Toroth."

"Of course it isn't. The tremors were coming from this island country, so logically; it is the best place to perform the spell." The other man sneered.

"Of course, you couldn't be saying that because your kid happens to live here," the first man continued, drawing the last lines of a complex circular design in chalk on the wooden floor.

"Like you have room to talk, with that pretty wife. There will be plenty of time for a family reunion later. Right now destiny is calling our names." The two men stood at opposite ends of the circle and started chanting.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Haru was delivering a tray of medicine down the hall when she fell to the floor, shaking uncontrollably.

"Haru!" Sakura, another volunteer, ran to her side and started shaking one shoulder. "Haru! Haru!" But the girl couldn't answer. She couldn't even hear.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Baron glanced up sharply from his paperwork. A sharp tremor flowed through his body.

"This power," he whispered.

"Baron?" Toto asked. The cat doll grabbed his coat, hat, and cane from the rack and climbed up to the crow.

"I need you to give me a lift. It's urgent that I get there first."

"Get where?"

"I'll guide you, but hurry!"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The phone rang, and Naoko Yoshioka placed her fabric swatches back on the table before answering.

"Yoshioka residence."

"Ms. Yoshioka, this is Sakura from the hospital. You need to get here quick, Haru's having a seizure."

"What?!"

"She just fell over and started shaking. They're taking her to the emergency room right now." The mother groaned, old horror returning.

"Not again. I'll be there."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A few minutes later found Haru's mother panting heavily at the emergency office.

"Haru…" she managed to gasp.

"This way please." The attendant led her down a corridor to a curtained room, where the brunette was hooked up to a beeping machine. Naoko immediately reaches out to hold her daughter's hand.

"How did this happen?" She asked the attendant.

"We're not quite sure. She was just walking around with prescriptions when she fell over." A doctor entered the room with a clipboard.

"Ms. Yoshioka?" Naoko nodded.

"We would like to perform tests on your daughter to figure out what's wrong, but we need to know more about her history first. Has something like this ever happened before?" She grimly nodded.

"Once, when Haru was five. It was so terrible that she could barely speak for a week, and she wasn't the same person afterwards. Is she going to be okay?"

"Hard to tell at this point. We need to wait until she wakes up before any tests can be performed. Call if you need anything, there's a mother in labor right now."

"All right." Both the attendant and the doctor left, and Naoko continued to squeeze her daughter's hand, the fear evident on her face.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Baron guided Toto with an arrow-like persistence until they reached a tall grey building.

"This is the hospital where Haru works; did you want to see her after all?" He didn't answer his feathered friend, but kept his focus on a certain spot. Down below, two men were looking at the same thing as they rushed into the building.

"The third window down to the right Toto, and hurry!"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_The blackened world suddenly lightened, and Haru could see an old man hunched over her, paintbrush in hand._

"_Well, now. That's much better." He smiled warmly at her._

"_Who are you?" Haru asked him, but with a different voice than her usual one. She then noticed that the man was triple her height. He noticed her sudden panic._

"_Oh, don't be afraid, my child. I would never harm you." He sat up with her in his hand, and she was surprised at how straight she was able to stay within his grasp._

"_I even have a present for you."_

"Haru!" She groaned as she opened one eye, her head still pounding. Sitting up, she noticed that she was wearing a cap that was connected with several wires to a beeping machine next to her. She took the cap off and glanced at her mother, who had started shrieking. "There's a bird trying to break in here!" She glanced at the window, and beamed.

"Toto!" The teenage girl scrambled out of bed and started to unlatch the window.

"Haru, what are you doing?"

"Relax Mom; he's a friend of mine." She opened the window wide so that the crow could circle once around the room before landing on the machine.

"It's so good to-Baron! Um, hi." She turned a little pink at seeing who Toto was carrying. The cat doll tipped his hat at her, a strange look on his face.

"Greetings, Miss Haru. I admit I'm surprised to see you in this _particular_ room." She blinked twice and looked around.

"Now that you mention it, so am I. And what are you doing here, Mom?" She turned to her mother, who was backed up against the farthest corner of the room, staring wide-eyed at Baron.

"It talked," Naoko said in a hoarse whisper. Her daughter was horrified.

"Mom! Baron's a guy, and Toto can talk too."

"Guilty as charged," Toto admitted. Baron waved his hand impatiently.

"Never mind all that. Haru, do you have a small green stone in your possession?" She stared at him.

"No, why?" He cocked his head at her, and seemed to stare straight into her soul. After a few seconds, she forgot that everything else besides Baron's eyes existed.

"How did _that_ happen?" he wondered aloud, still staring at a steadily reddening Haru. A sharp crash was heard outside the room, which broke the trance.

"I will explain everything I can later, but I need your hand right now, Haru." Without thinking twice, she raised hers to meet his.

"Now, wait a minute, young lady. You have some explaining to do." Naoko had crossed the room in long strides before gripping Haru's other arm, just as Baron gave a command, gripping her longest finger.

"Shrink!" Haru thought she felt the headache coming back, but then a fire started to swirl around inside her body, and she could feel the fire flow through her and into her mother. Then, somehow, they started to shrink, and Baron managed to keep a firm grip on Haru's hand while her mother kept her death lock on her other arm. Eventually, they were about the size of Baron, and he hurriedly pulled them onto Toto.

"Uh, what just happened? Where are we going, and can this bird take us?" Naoko asked. The crow answered her as he leapt off the machine, trying to ignore the shock of what just happened.

"If I can carry a cat doll and a piggy cat, than you three will be no problem."

"Cat doll?" Naoko blinked confusedly, so her daughter clued her in.

"Sure, what did you think Baron is?" He had taken the front, and Haru wrapped her arms around his chest while her mother did the same to her. "He's obviously not a real cat." The door bangs open, and Toto flew out the window before the intruders could stop him or see his passengers. Baron addressed Haru's mother.

"My apologies, Mrs. Yoshioka. I was originally planning on just taking your daughter, but it's probably best that you're coming too."

"I work too hard, this has to be a dream," Naoko started consoling herself. Haru asked the next question.

"Where _are _we going, Baron?"

"To the Bureau, of course." She smiled and tightened her grip on him.

'_If this is a dream, don't let me wake up.'_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Mom, you can open your eyes now."

"Are we there?" Naoko had kept her eyes firmly shut the whole flight.

"We are." Toto landed softly so that the trio on his back could slip off. The redhead immediately fell to the ground and embraced the cobblestones.

"Sweet, sweet ground, you don't know how I've missed you!" Baron looked questioningly at Haru, who had walked over to her mother and laughed nervously.

"She's afraid of heights." Her mother looked up at her girl's face, confused.

"You were too, not too long ago." Haru shrugged.

"I got over it."

"You better of, considering what happened." Toto chuckled.

"What? What happened, Haru? Why are you on speaking terms with…" not being able to find a word for them, she gestured to Baron and Toto. The cat doll smiled at the women consolingly.

"I think your mother would benefit greatly from a cup of tea."

"Good thinking." Haru pulled her mother off the pavement and led her behind Baron. "Wait till you see what his place looks like, Mom. It's so elegant."

Naoko dropped her lower jaw when she entered the Bureau, noting with interest the chandelier and furniture as Baron placed his coat, hat, and cane back on the rack and started another batch of tea. Toto flew in from the balcony window.

"Are we going to hear about what just happened yet?" He was still a little shell shocked that Baron had shrunk two humans, something he had never done before. He assured the crow.

"In due time." Haru stretched her arms out and sat on the couch.

"It sure is easier to get in here this time."

"Haru…" Her mother had sat down next to her, her mind still not functioning properly. The brunette caught the unspoken question.

"To cut to the chase, Baron and Toto helped me get out of an arranged marriage with a cat prince I saved a few months ago. Plus the piggy cat previously mentioned." Naoko looks over at Baron, a different expression on her face.

"He seems familiar, somehow." The doll turned to look at her.

"Do you care for milk or lemon with your tea, Mrs. Yoshioka?"

"Lemon, please. And it's Ms."

"Milk for you, Haru?"

"Of course." After another moment, he walks over to the women and gives them each a cup before fetching one for himself. "Baron, how did you shrink us?" He sighed before sitting in his favorite high back chair.

"I only gave the command, Haru. You were the one that actually did it." She gave him a funny look.

"What, how?"

"Did you feel anything well up inside you a split second before you shrunk?"

"Yeah…it was really weird. But what does that have to do with it?" Baron took a sip before answering her.

"I have mentioned the artisan that made me, have I not?"

"Just that he named you Baron Humbert von Gikkingen." Naoko had taken a sip from her cup.

"Haru, this tea tastes like yours." She rolled her eyes.

"Who do you think gave me the idea for mine? Go on, Baron."

"Well, he was a powerful magician, and owned a small green stone of immense power. I had thought that the stone had been lost forever, but when I felt the tremors that only the stone can give, I followed them straight to you." She thought about his words.

"Tremors…Mom, why did I wake up on one of the beds I had just barely made?"

"Sweetheart, you had another seizure." She blinked.

"Oh. In that case, I'm glad I don't remember anything except that weird dream."

"Haru, why didn't you mention that you're prone to seizures? You could have been in a lot of trouble." Baron thought of all the running they had to do in order to get out of the Cat Kingdom.

"I'm not prone to them Baron, I just had one several years ago."

"I see. You mentioned a dream, Haru?" Baron placed his cup down to give her his full attention.

"It wasn't anything to worry about."

"But if it was brought on by your seizure, it very well could be." Haru slumped her shoulders after taking a sip of her own.

"It was just an old man taking a paintbrush to me and telling me not to be afraid." He cocked his head at her.

"What did he look like?"

"He looked like a friendly old man that loved children. He had a snow-white beard and a tan apron decorated with wood shavings and paint streaks."

"Did he wear a red cap?" Haru nearly dropped her teacup, but succeeded in spilling some of the tea on her uniform. Baron gave her a napkin, an intent look on his face.

"He was, wasn't he?" She attempted to mop up the mess while looking at him.

"Yes, but how could you have known?" Just then, everyone's favorite white cat burst through the door.

"No one again, Baron-hey, what with this?" He stared at the two girls on his couch. "How'd you get tiny, Chicky? And what's with the outfit, did Baron break you out of a loony bin?" Haru glared at him.

"No, this happens to be my uniform for working at the hospital." Naoko stared at the giant cat, which was standing on his hind legs.

"That is without a doubt the biggest, fattest cat I will ever see in my entire life."

"Excuse me?!" Muta walks up to the couch with a raised fist, and Naoko shrinks back as Toto laughs his head off.

"My, Haru, she's as likable as you are!" The brunette had stood up and was standing between Muta and her mother.

"No offense, Muta, but she was probably telling the truth."

"Did she have to say it like that, though?"

"I pretty much said the same thing when we met."

"No, you just called me a fatso!"

"And you ran me through a suburban labyrinth to punish me."

"Did I?" Purring amusedly, he sat down on the vacated couch. Haru turned to her mother, who was almost cowering in the corner, staring at her daughter.

"Mom, you don't have to worry about Muta, he's just sensitive."

"You…understand him?"

"I already told you I can talk to cats."

"I thought that was a running gag!"

"Well, it's not." Firmly taking her mother's arm, she steered her to another chair and sat her mother down. "Where were we again?" Baron jogged her memory.

"The man from your dream."

"Oh, right. How did you know he had a red cap?"

"The artisan who made me always wore one." She stared at him.

"So why am I dreaming about him?"

"For the same reason that you shrunk. The green stone I keep mentioning had been inside his family for generations, and had disappeared after his death. For some reason, you now have the power of that stone." Naoko interjected.

"That can't be right. If she had a strange power, why did it surface now?"

"You mentioned that this isn't the first time that she's had a seizure?"

"Yes. She wasn't the same afterwards." Muta snorted.

"She's had a seizure? That explains a lot."

"Watch it, pork chop! This is serious." Toto shot at him.

"That was uncalled for, Muta." Baron wasn't pleased by the poor attempt at humor.

"What did he say?" Naoko was a bit confused.

"Never mind, Mom. Just what does the stone do, Baron?"

"It's as limited as the bearer's imagination. The reason you haven't been able to do anything is that you have to know about the Cat's Eye in order to use its power. And the group of men that were breaking into your hospital room were probably the magicians that activated its power and triggered your seizure." Haru's eyes widened, and she started to rock gently on her feet.

"Uh, oh." She whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Naoko pulled Haru onto her lap and wrapped her arms around her daughter and squeezed hard.

"Don't worry sweetheart; you just need to start putting limitations on it as soon as possible."

"Is something wrong?" Toto leaned closer from his perch on the balcony.

"Do any of you guys have the slightest clue how many science fiction books and mangas that I've read just in the past year?"

"I'm guessing from the expression on your face that it's a significant amount?" Baron had gotten up from his chair to gently touch her shoulder. "Your mother's correct; you will need to make barriers in your mind. Keep in mind that there are many powerful magic users that can feel when you use it, and that they will want the power for their personal gain."

Haru nodded at him and closed her eyes to try what she could. In her mind, she tried to visualize what the power felt like. Within moments, she found it, and it would have blinded her if she had looked with her real eyes. It was like a shining green star in the dark abyss of her mind. Closing her hands into fists, she imagined a thick cotton blanket in them, and mentally threw the blanket over the star. The blanket, instead of catching on fire, completely hid the light, except for the under part that wasn't covered directly. She visualized a rope, and loosely tied the ends of the blanket together until the blanket resembled a candy wrapper. Opening her eyes, Haru smiled at Baron.

"Can you feel anything now?"

"No. At least the magicians won't be able to find us."

"Wait, she's got magicians after her?"

"Of course she's got magicians after her, Mushu Pork!"

"Take that back, Chicken Legs!" Naoko shook her head in confusion.

"I'm sorry, Haru, but for all I know, that huge cat is practicing his lines for a Meow Mix commercial."

"Argh!" Muta nearly clawed off his fur in agitation. Haru looked down at her hand and thought for a second. Then she placed her hand on her mother's temple and closed her eyes. Good thing she had tied the knot loosely.

"Haru, what are you doing?"

"Stay quiet for a second, Mom." Letting a hair's width of the light out of the blanket, Haru used it to gently enter her mother's mind and flip a few of the right switches. Withdrawing her presence from her mother's mind, she tightened the knot again.

"Say something, Muta."

"Like what, Chicky?"

"Augh, he talked!" Naoko jumped a foot in the air and grabbed Haru again. Looking down, the teenage girl could see that Baron was firmly holding her other hand. In his eyes, she could see fear, and a trace of confusion.

"I…barely felt anything." She brightened.

"Good, and you probably felt the little you did since you were right next to me."

"Yes. That must be it." Baron regretfully released her hand and started pacing the room.

"I regret to inform you that it would be a bad idea to return to your home right now."

"Why's that?" Naoko wanted to know.

"There's no telling if they found out that you two were supposed to have been in that room, and there's no reason to take unnecessary chances." Her mother interjected again.

"Where will we stay then? Your place is nice, but it won't hold all of us. And what about school? Haru's graduating this week, and it is crucial that she passes the final exams."

"For accommodations, you need not worry. Toto and I are the only Creations in the refuge, so you two are free to pick whichever house suits your fancy." Naoko turned to her daughter.

"Creation?"

"Every time someone creates something with all their hopes and dreams, the creation is given a soul."

"Oh." Naoko turned to Baron and stared some more. "I know I've seen something like you before, but I can't put my finger on it." He smiled softly.

"It will probably return to you if it's important. As for school, I won't deny its danger. Haru would be a sitting duck if she went there alone, and that is unacceptable."

"I like the way he thinks," Naoko said to her daughter.

"But what do you guys suggest? If we're to keep a low profile, it's not a good idea to have Mom hovering in a corner. Animals aren't allowed on school grounds, and I doubt you'd be willing to spend hours in my schoolbag, Baron." He smiled at her, making color return to her cheeks.

"That's not quite what I had in mind."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

An hour later, Naoko and Haru were getting situated in the red house next to Baron's. He and Toto had started scouting around to be sure that the magicians had given up the search, and Muta had run off to do whatever he does when he's not mooching off of Baron.

"I'm sorry that you got caught up in this mess, Mom." Haru moved around a large table with her mother.

"Don't be. What are families for if not for the tough times?"

"True." Haru rubbed her hands together, and then pulled open a closet door that was overloaded with quilting supplies, which fell all over the floor. Naoko started picking up her things that Haru had just transported from their home. She had been keeping the transferences in small batches so that the tremors would stay small.

"You know, I've wanted to take a vacation for a while, and this house is just like the one I dreamed of living in as a child. And now that you know about this power, it should actually simplify a lot of things."

"You mean like all I have to do from now on to keep us fed is open the fridge, and it will have anything we want?"

"Yes. That alone will cut back on the costs." Haru shook her head.

"I just can't get my mind around how I have this strange power. How would a German magician find a way to give a Japanese girl that's living at least half a continent and century away this great power? It doesn't make sense."

"No it doesn't. Wait, Baron never mentioned that his maker was German."

"He didn't have to. The man in my dream was speaking German, and the crazier part is that I perfectly understood him." Naoko sighed.

"There's bound to be a good reason for all of this. Oh, and sweetie?"

"Yes?"

"You need to quit working at the hospital."

"What? You know how important that work is to me!"

"Honey, think about this. You have some dangerous men after you, and they already know that you've been near the hospital recently, even if they don't know you're what they're looking for. If you keep going there, you're putting all those patients in danger." Haru sighed and slouched on the dusty green couch.

"I guess you're right. I'll have to call from a payphone on the way to school tomorrow. I'll just say that the stress of finals and volunteer work has become too much for me, and you're forcing me to quit."

"It's close enough." Naoko sat down next to her daughter, and did a double-take.

"Haru?"

"What?"

"Get closer." She reached over to turn on a lamp to better look into her daughter's eyes. "Oh, my."

"What is it?"

"It looks like the use of this power is leaving its mark."

"Mom!"

"Your eyes are getting twinges of green."

"What?" Haru ran from the room, and wiped a dusty mirror in the hallway clean. Sure enough, her eyes had become veined with an emerald green. And her hair looked a shade lighter in the lamplight.

"That's weird. I'll have to tell Hiromi that I'm wearing contacts."

"Probably." Naoko stared at her slender daughter, a twinge of recognition bursting into flame. Her eyes widened, since she didn't dare gasp and draw Haru's attention.

_That's why Baron looked familiar._

"Sweetheart, can we get the boxes from the attic next? I don't feel comfortable leaving them in an empty house." Her daughter left off checking herself to do as requested.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Are you sure that you want to do this, Baron? I'll understand if you want to back out."

"Haru, I can handle a species change." It was morning now, and everyone had gathered in the courtyard a couple minutes before Haru's school started. Muta hadn't noticed Haru's new coloring, which sparked yet another fight in between him and Toto. Baron had just looked carefully and said that it was a reaction; it wouldn't harm her.

She sighed and placed her hands on his broad shoulders. Closing her eyes, she untied the knot to let a strand of power out again. Baron glowed gold for a moment, and then the light faded to reveal a young man a little older than Haru. He still had the orange hair and green eyes of his former body. He gave himself a look over.

"Haru, why did you change my clothes?" He was now wearing a white button-down shirt with dark blue pants.

"Because I want the admittance officer to have as few reasons as possible not to let you on school property, and that's pretty close to what the guys need to wear." He turned to the crow.

"Toto, be sure to deliver that message I asked, and Muta?"

"Yeah, I'll baby sit the mommy."

"Watch it, Garfield." Naoko handed a manila envelope to Haru. "Please get this to the office while you're out." The teenage girl slipped the envelope inside her bag.

"Can do. See you in a few hours." She and Baron walk up to another house, and Haru releases a trace of power before opening the door. They walked out into a busy sidewalk at regular human height, about a block from the school.

"Shall we?" He offered her an arm, which she took with a giggle.

"As long as we're here." They started walking at a brisk pace.

"Do you think there will be a problem with our plan?"

"Possibly, but-" Haru was cut off when Baron sharply jerked her aside so she wouldn't collide with a boy that had just turned the corner.

"So sorry-Haru?" The boy had turned to stare at her.

"Oh, hi Machida."

"What happened to you?" Her eyes had gone greener, and her hair was decidedly lighter.

"Just trying out a new look. This is Baron, by the way. Baron, Machida's a guy from home room." The two men sized each other up. Machida noted with distaste their linked arms, and Baron figured that this is the young man that Toto had told him about.

"What are you doing with him, Haru? School should be starting soon."

"Not for another ten minutes, and we need to hurry to see if Miss Hashiko will grant him a visitor's pass. Later!" Haru steered Baron past Machida and toward the school gates. The dark-haired teenager watched them, a hint of a storm in his eyes.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I'm sorry dear. Could I get that name again?"

"Baron Gikkingen. He's a friend of mine that's going to be in town for a while, and he wanted to see what schools are like here."

"Strange boy, to come willingly," the old secretary muttered as she filled it out. "Address?" Baron stiffened while Haru leaned across the desk, her newly green eyes aflame.

"You don't need an address." Ms. Hashiko smiled indulgently.

"You know, dear? I don't really need an address."

"This young man is free to go."

"You can go now. Oh! Don't forget this." She handed Baron a clip reading 'Visitor'. He clipped it on with a smile.

"My gratitude, Miss Hashiko."

"Oh, no problem. Enjoy your stay here!" She waved at them as they turned a corner to Haru's first class.

"Where did you get the idea for that?" He asked her admirably.

"Star Wars."

"Beg pardon?"

_I'll explain later._

"Haru?"

_I'm installing a mind link in between us, just in case you need to know something in a pinch._ Baron smiled at her.

"That's very clever." She blushed happily.

"Why, thank you."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

As soon as Haru and Baron had left, Naoko ran back into the red house and opened up one of the boxes that her daughter had retrieved the night before. Coughing a bit from the dust, she pulled out a worn quilt and an old diary. The diary was her own from her childhood, and she carefully turned the pages until she found the date that she was looking for. 'My birthday!' was written in an adolescent hand across the top of two pages, which detailed each of her gifts from whom.

Naoko found the item she was looking for, and started reading the diary from there, continuing with the following volume after that one had been completely filled, leading up to her high school days. Her eyes began to tear up at all the dormant memories that had been brought freshly to light. Her greatest friend and confidant, long forgotten…

She held the diaries to her heart and wept silently, fearing that the fat cat outside would hear her. After a moment, she wiped her face clean and continued the search for another set of journals.

Her mother's.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Baron and Haru swung around a corner and shut the door behind them quickly. Leaning close to the ground, they waited a couple seconds for more footsteps, which thundered passed, lasting for about a minute before fading.

"I must say, I wasn't expecting a reception like _that_." Haru giggled softly.

"I was expecting Hiromi to be happy about meeting you, but I didn't think the whole school would be so interested in my personal life." Turning around, Baron could see that they were currently hiding in the music room, if the various musical instruments were of any indication.

"Well, I think your new coloring probably contributed." Haru had walked over to the piano and sat down on the bench, pulling out a box wrapped in a handkerchief.

"Anything in particular sound good for lunch?" Baron grinned and sat down next to her.

"Surprise me." Haru closed her eyes again, and opened up the box to reveal two veggie wraps, with some strawberries on the side.

"Ever tried one of these before?"

"No, I've never had to eat for energy before. I just enjoy a slice of angel food cake from time to time and my tea blend. This looks good though." She handed him one of the wraps, which he delicately took. Watching her take a bite, he followed her example. Swallowing, he said

"This is good! I've clearly been missing out by sticking to cake." The girl next to him smiled.

"I'm glad that you think so. Most people around here seem to think that nothing's worth eating unless it has meat or has been fried in grease."

"Disgusting. Don't you like meat?"

"When I still ate it, I liked it fine. But after Mom figured out that meat was triggering nightmares, we went vegetarian."

"Nightmares?" He had finished his wrap and was eyeing the strawberries with great interest. She handed him one before answering.

"Yeah, they were terrible. It was always the same thing, too." Baron's eyes were closed, savoring the red morsel in his hand.

"What was it?"

"A giant man lighting me on fire." Baron's eyes shot open.

"What?"

"Well, he didn't do it immediately." Baron placed one hand over hers, strawberry forgotten.

"Please, tell me the whole thing." Haru was slightly intimidated by the look in Baron's eyes, but did as he asked.

"Well, the dream starts out nice enough. I'm standing in a corner of a bedroom, watching a teenage girl sleep peacefully. I remember her quilt best, since it had a tie-dyed butterfly on it and looked really cool. The flower clock on the opposite wall strikes twelve, and I begin to stretch. But then, a shadow starts moving around the room, although nothing's moving but me. I stop moving so that I can see what it is, and it solidifies into a giant man."

"If he was a giant, how did he fit into the room?"

"It's about here that I realize that I'm actually as small as a doll, and I had been watching the girl from on top of her dresser. Any way, the man picks me up, and I'm unable to move or scream. He looks at me for a second, and then turns his head to the sleeping girl. Then, with a malevolent grin, he would light me on fire with his hand, without matches or anything else." Haru's eyes became wide and haunted at the memory of that terrible dream. Baron took the box from her and placed it aside so that he could hold her close.

"Every time I would wake up screaming, I could still feel the flames on my skin, and I always thought I was turning to ash." Baron didn't say anything for a long time, just hugged her softly while she placed her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his chest. "Needless to say, I preferred a chill to a campfire on school trips." Baron squeezed her harder.

"Usually being made of wood, I can completely sympathize with a dream like that." After a moment, he released her, and she turned in her side of the bench to face the piano.

"It's strange. I have never told Hiromi about my fire dream, and Mom had to drag it out of me. But I could tell you without thinking much about it." Placing a hand on the ivory keys before her, she played a few random notes. Baron had also turned to face the piano.

"I'm glad that you feel comfortable telling me such a delicate thing." He placed a hand over the keys as well, playing a few random notes of his own. For some reason, Haru felt she had to answer his notes, and played a few more. He replied with his own. Smiling, the young lady brought up both hands to the keyboard and started a simple melody. Baron grinned back at her and complimented her melody. As the music progressed, it became more spirited and complicated to play. They often crossed arms to reach the appropriate keys and the music pouring from the black piano, which had started as a light-hearted melody, became a beautifully crafted duet that any composer could be proud of.

After a few moments of glorious playing, Haru suddenly stopped touching keys, unintentionally forcing Baron to stop as well.

"Haru? What's wrong?" The young woman brought her hands close to her face and stared at them.

"Baron…I've never touched a piano before." The door behind them burst open, and the two on the piano bench turned to find several people gathered outside their door, some spilling on to the floor. Haru turned red and grabbed her box and handkerchief.

"Come on. Math is next."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

By the time Haru and Baron returned, Naoko had all the boxes stuffed and placed back where she had left them, and she had propped herself in a lawn chair with a large bowl of popcorn, rooting alternatively for Toto and Muta, who had started another fight.

"How was school, honey? Go for the eyes, Toto!"

"Mom! The last thing those two need is encouragement!" Haru and Baron walked up to her, horrified.

"I know Sweetheart, but this is even better than cable. You're not going to take that, are you Muta?"

"How would you know? We've never had TV because you say it rots the brain!"

"That's because it does." The redhead got off the chair and put down the popcorn and took Haru's arm. "Now, I want you to tell me every detail of what happened when you rescued this cat prince. Those two have been throwing out remarks that I really want to understand."

"All right. You want to change back first, Baron?"

"It doesn't matter. Go with your mother."

"I'm liking this guy more and more," Naoko muttered as she dragged Haru to the inside of their new home.

"Knock it off, you two! Play time's over!" Baron walked over to his friends, both of which were panting heavily and each had a few cuts.

"Bird-for-Brains here started it!"

"Yeah right, Mr. Five-Meals-Per-Day!"

"Enough!" Baron had had enough of childishness for one day. Muta and Toto had the grace to look embarrassed. "Did you deliver the message, Toto?"

"Yes. King Lune questioned his historians on the matter, and Haru is the only human in all of Cat History that could understand their kind as a human." The ex-cat touched his chin thoughtfully.

"That would explain why they were so eager to introduce her DNA to the royal gene pool. Besides saving their prince's life." Muta couldn't help but snort in contempt. Baron couldn't figure out why Haru was the only one. True, he hadn't raised a fuss when he saw that she could understand cats, but that hadn't meant he wasn't curious. What of her new pianist ability? She hadn't called on her power for that, so-

"LOUISE HARU YOSHIOKA!!!!!!" Baron turned so fast that his neck and back cracked, unsure of what he had just heard. A split second later, Haru burst from her front door and ran towards Toto's perch with her mother hot on her heels.

"She must have downloaded everything into her mother's brain." Toto mused.

"Don't kill me!" Haru did a fancy jump that landed her on his usual perch. Her mother ranted at the base of it, shaking one fist.

"Get back down here! Jumping in front of a truck?! Parachuting without a parachute?! Being at the top of exploding towers?!"

"That last one was not my fault! The Cat King pressed a big red button!" Muta and Toto moved towards Naoko's armchair and helped themselves to the cooling popcorn.

"What? Fair's fair!" Muta protested when Baron glared at them. Haru called down to her enraged mother.

"I'm not coming down until you calm down!"

"Then I'll climb up there!"

"Nice bluff, Mom! I know for a fact that this pillar is too smooth for climbing, or Muta would have gotten Toto by now!"

"Try me!" Naoko started to try to find a decent handhold along the base. Muta called out to the mother.

"She's right! If there was any conceivable way to scale that thing that Toto couldn't prevent, he wouldn't be here!"

"Like you could have ever taken me down!" Baron was tuned out of the two fights. All he could see was Haru, her now light brown hair glistening in the fading sunlight, and her emerald eyes locked on her mother below. She hadn't used the Cat's Eye to make the jump to Toto's perch, and that pillar was taller than she was at her regular height. Indeed, she looked much like a cat caught in a tree.

Had he heard correctly? Was her name Louise?

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"At least everyone's going to sleep well tonight," Haru said as Baron walked her to her door, having just had a cup of tea for the scare her mother had given her. Muta had passed out on Baron's couch again, and Toto was able to reclaim his perch after Naoko had stumbled off to bed, complaining of a headache and a sore throat.

"True enough. Haru, there's something I'd like to ask of you." She turned to look him full in his restored cat features.

"Yes?"

"Your mother…right before you ran out the door." She rubbed the back of her head in an embarrassed manner.

"Oh, you're wondering about the Louise thing?"

"Yes, actually." His green eyes were locked on her, secretly glad that he never talked about his love life with his two friends. They surely would have blown his cover by now.

"Well, my grandmother's name was Louise, and she emigrated here from Germany after World War II. Apparently she was looking for her boyfriend, but never found him. So Grandma married a local business owner, and Mom missed her enough when she died to name me after her. I actually liked the name growing up, but I got sick of people making fun of it." He cocked his head at her.

"Why would they make fun of it?"

"Because it's a European name in Japan, and the kids I grew up with were really rude, so when we moved after my first seizure, I asked Mom to start calling me Haru so everyone else would."

"Indeed. I think I can identify, since my name is Humbert."

"Baron suits you better." He smiled at her and kissed her hand, making her blush again.

"And I believe that both of your names suit you. Good night, Haru."

"Goodnight." He turned to walk back to the Bureau. "Um, Baron?" He looked back at her.

"Yes?"

"You're free to call me Louise, if you want." Baron's smile deepened, warming her from the night chill.

"Thank you, but I think I shall refrain from doing so. At least during school hours." Haru laughed.

"Probably a good idea. Sweet dreams, Baron." She started to close the door.

"Sweet dreams…Louise." The cat doll walked back to the Bureau, his heart lighter than it had been for years.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I saw that." Haru wheeled around to see her mother, clothed in a robe.

"Saw what?"

"Haru, you haven't let _me _call you Louise in years, but you let him do it, no problem?"

"I'm not as sensitive about it any more; you can use the name too, if you want." Her mother walked up to her and embraced her hard.

"I may be your mother, but I'm not blind. You're in love with Baron." Haru felt her cheeks burn, and opened her mouth to deny it. But nothing came out. After a few more seconds, she relaxed in her mother's arms.

"Yes. I am well aware that there are some severe complications to being in love with him, and-"

"There aren't anymore." Haru looked at her mother's face with wide eyes. "I mean, you've already shown that height and species aren't barriers any more, with your newly discovered power, and it definitely explains your strange behavior for the past few months."

"You mean…you don't have a problem with this? Me being with Baron-I mean, _if_ he happened to like me back?"

"Sweetheart, he's a charming man that is fiercely protective of you. Even if he wants to stay friends, you have a much better relationship with him then I did with your father. I fell for him because he could make roses appear in a puff of smoke." Naoko's face took on a look of regret and anger for her past mistake. Haru squeezed her mother hard, and the look began to fade.

"The best thing I got out of that relationship was you, and you made it worth the trip." Naoko rarely talked about him, and Haru was glad of it, since her mother would sometimes break down crying on her birthday or Father's Day.

"Thanks for the support, Mom. I'm glad that you like Baron."

_You gave me support too. More than you can remember._ That is what Naoko longed to say, but settled for,

"No problem, Louise. Can you do me a small favor before bed?"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Haru was in bright spirits the next day, walking to school with Baron for the last time.

"It's a good thing that there were only two days left before all this started." She commented cheerfully.

"Yes, it would be more difficult if there were a month left, with those nosy kids-"

"Better watch it, Baron. We're getting within hearing range." They had just crossed the front gates when Hiromi jumped them, surprised that Haru's hair was now snow-white, and her eyes had taken an emerald hue.

"Haru, I dropped by your house last night, but no one was home!" She shrugged.

"I'm not surprised; Mom's taking a retreat and dragged me along."

"Why did you take everything, though? Your house looks deserted."

"You know my mom doesn't like to leave anything to chance. Baron and I need to hurry, if we want to get the pass for him again."

"Didn't you hear? Miss Hashiko got yelled at for giving your boyfriend a pass without even getting an address first."

"He's-" Haru started to protest.

"-sorry about that, I will correct that problem today. Although she did say that she didn't really need my address, right Haru?" She flicked her eyes toward him, since he never cut her off before. Did he want people to think they were a couple? They never actually sat down and discussed their exact relationship…

"That's right, but we're going to fix it now. See you on the field, Hiromi!" They jogged toward the front entrance, and Hiromi's eyes turned hard. Stepping out from behind a tree, Machida approached her.

"Now do you see what I mean? He has Haru wrapped around his finger, and he cut her off before she could say anything." Hiromi's shoulders slumped.

"I had hoped that you were just playing a joke, but it looks like your insane theory has credibility. Today's field day, so I should be able to catch her without him long enough to warn her."

"Be sure to do it as quick as possible, so that she can keep her soul."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Haru and Baron warily approached the attendant's desk, where an old woman sat with her hands covering her face.

"Hi, Miss Hashiko! I'm sorry that you got in trouble over my friend." The old woman looked up with a sad smile.

"Don't be dear, it wasn't your fault. I knew the regulations and ignored them. I'm lucky to keep my job, if I can get your friend's information as soon as possible."

'_Baron, I need you to repeat what I send you.'_

'_**Will do.'**_

"I have your name, Mr. Gikkingen, but your address?"

"1306 Cherry Lane. I'm crashing on Haru's couch."

"I see. Your parent's number?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

'_**These high school kids are confusing'**_

'_I'm betting this is Machida's doing.'_

'_**Why do you say that?'**_

'_Because he's been pursuing me for months and I'm hanging out with you.' _Compared to yesterday, today's reception was on the chilly side. Everyone kept glaring at Baron as he escorted Haru to the girl's locker room.

"I should be able to handle it from here." She grinned at him as she opened the door.

"See you in the field." Baron answered. As soon as the locker door closed behind her, Machida appeared around the corner, with a goon on each side like a cheesy teen movie.

"I hear that you've been crashing on Haru's couch." The tawny haired youth raised an eyebrow.

'_Mental note: ask Haru what that means.' _"That's right. Her mother has been very understanding."

"I'm sure she has. Too bad you'll have to crash somewhere else."

"I beg your pardon? Last time I checked, you had no authority over her couch."

"Not yet I don't. I've been working on Haru for months, and I refuse to let some fancy British guy take her from me."

"Except she was never yours." A vein began to pop out of Machida's neck.

"I'm telling you to leave Haru alone or else!" Baron gave a careful smile.

"You wish to challenge my relationship with Miss Haru?"

"Yes!"

"Than I accept your challenge. Do you have the weapons?" Machida blinked. He hadn't expected Baron to take the challenge, just to walk away. Then again, he wasn't the fencing champion of the school district for nothing.

"Toshi, the swords are in the case in the back of the gym. Bring them to the field, so that everyone can witness this."

"Sure thing, Machida," replied one of the goons, who then rushed off on his errand.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

In the girls' locker room, Haru was laughing her head off at what Hiromi had just said.

"It's the truth, Haru! Will you just calm down?"

"Oh, Hiromi, you are so clueless! Baron's no international jewel thief; he owns a small non-profit business for people with problems."

"And how can he afford to keep it non-profit?"

"Family money. Hiromi just let it drop; I know Baron better than that."

"Do you? How much do you really know about him and his family?" Haru had started toward the field exit, but Hiromi grabbed her arm. "Please, Haru. I'm trying to help you." The white haired girl smiled warmly at her and gently removed her friend's arm.

"I know you are. Frankly, I don't even blame you for thinking what you do, since you don't know the whole story."

"I would if you would just tell me." Haru looked directly into her eyes.

"I can't tell you everything right now, because it's complicated. But if you keep your schedule open after the graduation ceremony, I will tell you everything there is to tell about Baron."

"You swear?" Hiromi had extended her pinky out to Haru, who linked her own in it and shook.

"I swear."

"Hey, Haru!" A girl ran in from the field door. "Machida's fighting Baron for you!"

"He's what?" She sprinted for the exit and onto the field, where everyone in her graduating class was standing in a huge circle. She climbed onto the benches until she could see what the crowd was circling. Machida and Baron looked coolly at each other, each with a sword in hand.

'_Baron, what are you doing?'_

'_**Machida's ordered me to stay away from you, so we're essentially dueling to see who has to leave you alone.' **_Haru thought about that for a second.

'_Are you aware that he's the dueling champion of the school district?'_

'_**Just trust me.'**_ She smiled and sat back on the bench to enjoy the show.

'_All I ask is that he leaves in one piece.'_ Machida lunged, and Baron smoothly stepped to one side, not even lifting his sword. Turning, the dark haired boy swiped at his opponent, who deflected the blow with ease. After a few minutes of playing cat and mouse, Baron made Machida drop the sword. Now holding both, her hero seemed to tower over the classmate.

"Do you yield?" Machida glared at him, but slowly nodded his head. From the surrounding classmates, a chorus of boos emerged, and Baron dropped both weapons and headed toward the bleachers. Haru met him at the base, where he had stopped and was staring at her in a way he never had before, a blush spreading across his face that not even his orange fur could have disguised. "H-h-haru." He managed to choke out.

"Is something wrong?" She couldn't figure out what he was sweating over. Noticing his gaze, she looked down and realized why. "Oh, I should have warned you earlier; the girls have to wear extremely short shorts in order to do the meet." The blush refused to lessen.

"Haru, there are _men_ in the crowd. I wish you had let me keep my suit coat." The teenage girl got a mental image of Baron running beside her in every event, holding his coat in front of her lower body so the crowd couldn't see her legs. She giggled and smiled at him again, touched that he cared that much about her dignity.

"I know, and if there was a way I could have gotten longer shorts, I'd have done it long ago." She linked her arm in his and pulled him up to sit next to her. "If anything, it's at least a comfort to know that someone else hates these shorts as much as I do." The rest of the students stared at Baron. Everyone knew about the shorts, why were they a shock to him? The students began to file onto the bleachers, and the meet started. They had to do the routines in sections, since the field wasn't the biggest.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

'_**Which one's yours?'**_

'_The three-part race is my first.'_

'_**Are you sure that this meet is supposed to take all school day?'**_

'_Unfortunately. Mom stopped coming to these things years ago, since they are all repeats.'_

'_**Haru, you need to be careful; I could tell that you weren't using the Cat's Eye's power to jump to Toto's perch.'**_

'_I'll keep a firm grip on myself.'_

"Three-part race!"

"Wish me luck." She pecked him on the cheek before heading down the walk-aisle. Baron smiled warmly at her retreating back. This was going better than he had hoped.

"I hope you're happy." a boy on the other side of him hissed. The ex-cat smiled.

"I am, actually."

"And why shouldn't you be? You humiliated Machida in front of the whole class, the rest of the school will find out before lunch, and you managed to get the girl!"

"Machida was asking for it, it's none of my concern what the student populace says, and Haru is capable of making her own choices. Even if I had lost, she wouldn't leave me."

"Because of your spell over her." He cocked his head at the speaker, confused.

"Beg pardon?"

"Oh, look whose pretending innocence." A boy behind Baron gave him a sharp kick, but Baron braced himself in time to stay in his seat. It took all of his self control not to turn around and challenge the offender then and there. "Machida's been after Haru for months, then you show up out of nowhere, and she's hanging off your arm like a tree ornament." That got the tawny haired man's temper flared.

"Haru is no ornament, and we've known each other for months. Not that her love life is either of your concerns." Down below, a fake gunshot rang out, and the race began. It was just between the girls, and they had reserved Haru for the final stretch. The boys leaned back into their seats, still scowling at him. What did they mean by a spell? He could see the baton being tossed to Haru, and she ran as smoothly as a gazelle. Her white hair glistened in the sunlight, and her emerald eyes glowed as her feet beat the ground.

"What about her hair and eyes? Did you encourage her to change them?" A girl from in front of Baron turned to face him, intense distrust in her eyes.

"No, but I think she looks fetching with dark or light coloring."

"Fetching? You sound like my grandfather." He looked down into the offensive girl's eyes, his own glowing.

"If expressing admiration for Haru's appearance in a respectable manner is old-fashioned, then I think I can handle it." The ex-brunette staggered back to her seat next to Baron, but was blocked by another girl.

"Please excuse me."

"No, this is for your own good. Machida's reserved a seat for you next to him." Haru turned her head to the direction the girl pointed, where Machida had a huge space on either side of him. Haru sighed.

"I thought that Baron took care of this. I've made it clear that I prefer him to Machida."

"That's because he's put a spell on you. Hiromi was supposed to tell you, but she chickened out-"

"I would appreciate it if you wouldn't degrade either of my best friends." Haru slipped smoothly around the girl and reclaimed her seat by Baron's side.

"You did well, Haru." She laughed shortly.

"On the race or telling off Reime?"

"Both." He wrapped one arm around her and drew her close.

"He said a bad thing about you. He called you fetching." A little nerd to the side informed the slight form under Baron's arms. The kid next to him slapped his head hard.

"You idiot!" Haru leaned her head up to look into Baron's eyes; a light blush decorating her cheeks.

"If fetching is the worst that you'll ever call me, I think I'm in great shape." Baron chuckled.

"It probably is the worst thing I'll ever say about you."

"Why did you flip out about the shorts?" Another boy asked curiously. The white-haired girl answered for the ex-cat.

"Baron went to an all-boys school growing up, and never competed against girls."

"Isn't that a bit sexist?" Another boy jumped at the chance to rip Baron apart. The green eyed girl shrugged.

"Perhaps, but it doesn't matter. I don't like the shorts either." Another kid had a question.

"So, were you on a fencing team too? You had to have been, the way you were toying with Machida." Baron picked up on Haru's story.

"I was, but my team preferred broadswords to knitting needles." This made his companion giggle.

"Those needles could make a pretty big blanket, if one could handle the weight and not be cut up by the tips."

"A comment like that from you, Haru? You don't knit." Reime was watching her suspiciously. Haru's smile faded, as did her eyes.

"No, but I know how." Strange, she hadn't a moment before.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Machida could barely keep his eyes off of the couple in the back of the bleachers, even when it was his turn to play on the field. When his deadbeat dad returned from doing who knows what for years, Machida hadn't thought much about it until his mother mentioned Haru's last name in front of him. Turns out that her dad knew his dad, but her dad didn't know he was one. Her picture in the new yearbook had confirmed her identity, and her dad shared her coloring. Or at least it had, before Haru went Danny Phantom on everyone. Her dad tried to visit them at home, but they had deserted the place, and the very next day, she showed up with this British jerk. He tried to find a way to tell her that her dad was back in town, but he hoped to get Baron out of the way first.

Squinting a bit, Machida could see her father against a wire fence, his eyes intent on the daughter he never knew. He hadn't quite believed that she was really his daughter, especially with her new coloring, but her oncoming birthday made it impossible for her to be anything else.

There had to be a way to get Baron out of the way for good.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

An older attendant stumbled up the bleachers towards Baron and Haru.

"Need a seat?" She asked, gesturing for the one next to her.

"Yes, thank you." Panting slightly, he sank gratefully into the offered seat and turned to the girl.

"You have a visitor that wishes to meet with you immediately." She raised an eyebrow.

"I thought that school regulations didn't allow for anyone but the parents-"

"The man says he's your father, and he does bear a certain resemblance to you when you don't play with beauty products." Baron could feel Haru grow cold in his grasp.

"I hate to ask you to go back down the bleachers, but the man who claims to be my father should know that he has no right to ask to see me; I am under my mother's guardianship alone, and he would need to speak to her if he wishes to see me." The attendant was a little frightened by Haru's eyes, which now seemed to spark with anger.

"I will tell him immediately."

"Thank you." Baron rubbed his hand over her arm in a vain attempt to warm her up as they watched the man stumble back down the bleachers, trying to snake by rowdy teenagers.

"I take it he did something unsavory?"

"Very much so. He abandoned my mother and me before I was born." Baron's eyes narrowed and he squeezed her again.

"Enough said."

"I thought it would be." _'Hiromi tried to tell me that you're a jewel thief.'_

'_**A few of the kids accused me of putting a spell on you.'**_ Baron wrapped his arm a bit tighter around Haru. _**'Is there anything in particular that they dislike about me? Why is everyone in love with the idea of you being with Machida?'**_

'_Because I had a crush on him before I met you, and I never mentioned you to anyone so that they couldn't convince me to forget.' _Baron really liked where this was going. _'However, Hiromi did have one good point.'_

'_**Which was…?'**_

'_She asked if you had a family. Obviously you don't, but did the artisan make anyone like you?' _Baron stiffened a bit. He had hoped that she wouldn't ask that question, but he wasn't about to lie to her.

'_**There was one other that he created. My fiancé.' **_Haru jumped out of his arms like she had been electrocuted.

'_You never mentioned a fiancé before!'_

'_**That's because she died about twenty years ago.'**_

'_Oh.'_

"Something wrong, Haru?" Reime had turned her head to look at Haru with interest.

"Oh, no. I just remembered that I have an errand to run after school. No problem." Disappointed, Reime turned back in her seat, and Haru slipped back underneath Baron's arm.

'_I'm sorry.'_

'_**Thank you. So am I.'**_

'_What was she like?'_ Baron straightened and took a deep breath.

'_**Actually, she's a lot like you.'**_ Haru raised one eyebrow at him.

'_How so?'_

'_**She had a wonderful heart, one of the best I've ever known. She liked helping people without their knowledge, but would sometimes play mischievous mind games on me. If anyone asked for her opinion, she didn't hold back what she was thinking. To tell you the truth, I was never supposed to marry her.'**_

'_I thought she was your fiancé!'_

'_**She was, and that was the way it was supposed to remain. Creations are very different from humans, Haru.**__**The way we are when we gain a conscience is the way we remain for the rest of our lives. If the artisan wished us to be married, then he literally would have made us so. I guess he thought that us being engaged instead of married was more romantic. He even carved us from the same piece of wood.' **_

"_How did she die?'_

'_**I don't know, but I definitely felt her death twenty years ago. It's not exactly a sensation that can be mistaken.'**_ Haru wrapped her arm around his chest and squeezed for his comfort. _**'There's something I want you to know, Haru.'**_ When she eventually found out, Baron wanted all the bases covered. _**'I'm never going to stop thinking about her, but lately; I've found that I haven't been able to stop thinking about you either.'**_ Haru looked sharply up into his eyes, a spark of hope catching flames deep inside of her…

"Javelin throwing!" The white-haired girl groaned at the timing, and reluctantly started back down the aisle.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A young girl tiptoed back into the locker room, having just finished her race. Machida had trusted her with this most important assignment, since Hiromi had failed in hers. Pulling out a small bag, about the size of a penny, she quickly opened up the locker that she shared with Haru and slipped the tiny bundle deep into her friend's schoolbag. Ordinarily, she would have said no to helping her ex in conquering another girl, but with Haru's soul in jeopardy, she would do the little she could.

'_I think that he's holding her mother hostage to keep Haru quiet. Nothing else would explain her strange behavior, or the fact that no one's seen her mother in days. This tracer will ensure that we can help both of them."_

"Please be right," Sakura whispered.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Hey, what'cha doing in there?" Muta had just traded posts with Toto, and was now looking at the redhead through her workshop window.

"Sunday's Haru's birthday, and I want her eighteenth birthday present to be something special." She was working with yards of a light bluish fabric. She had gotten the material from a special cabinet she had asked Haru to make for her the night before after the little heart-to-heart. This cabinet would be full of whatever the opener wanted, which was proving to be useful.

"You're serious? That's Baron's birthday too." Naoko looked up sharply, accidentally stabbing herself with a pin. Sucking on the wound, she questioned him further on the subject.

"I thought Baron was a doll."

"He is, but he considers his birthday to be the day he got a full soul." Naoko turned her head to one side, confused.

"Full soul?"

"If a creation is made with only part of a soul, they can gain the rest by finding one or more humans to love them and bring them to life with their imagination." She stared at him, pinprick forgotten.

'_That explains a lot.' _"If that's the case, how old will Baron be?" Attempting to count on his paws, Muta tried to figure it out.

"Eighteen, I think. Wow, what a coincidence. I need to get started on a cake, mind if I cook in here? I would usually find a vacant house, but I need to keep an eye on you." Naoko shook her head, smiling as a new idea began to emerge.

"Not at all. Have you ever tried Jell-O cake?"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I _hate_ field days," Haru groaned, moving her legs slowly. Baron swept her into his arms again and was carrying her in a manner that made everyone stop and stare. She had stopped caring what they thought. All she could think about was how comfortable Baron's arms were, cradling her close.

"At least it's over and the last one you'll ever have to do."

"Yes. Admittedly, this year was better, since I've been training harder since the labyrinth." They stopped by the front office for her cap and gown before walking the block.

"That probably helped." They approach the side door, and Haru reaches out for the knob. Twisting it, she and Baron slip inside and shut it behind them.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Machida quickly jumps out of his hiding place and pulls open the door. It opened up to a small game shop, and the only person within was a droopy-eyed man at the counter, who suddenly woke up and straightened.

"May I help you, young man?"

"Yes, did a guy carrying a young woman just run in here?"

"Eh, no. Just you." Scowling, Machida slammed the door shut and ran to his apartment. Banging open the door, he could see his father, along with his mother and Haru's father.

"Well?"

"He must have used a transportation spell, because when I opened the same door that they had, they weren't inside." Haru's father slammed down his coffee.

"Where could they be hiding?! A woman and her daughter should not be this hard to find, Toroth." He started pacing the floor.

"Be patient, Jeth. We know that the tracer has been placed with your daughter, so she should be easily found." Drawing the rug to one side, Toroth revealed a complicated circle drawn in chalk onto the wooden floor. "Care to find out where your family is?"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"All right, is everyone clear on the plan?" Naoko asked in a conspiratorially low voice.

"Sure. I distract Haru, Butterball distracts Baron-"

"I resent that!"

"-and you get a few extra hours. Easy as pie." A few minutes later, the exit door opened, and Baron walked in, carrying Haru as she closed the door behind them.

"Hi sweetie! How was the meet?" Naoko immediately broke away from Muta and Toto, who had launched into another fight to keep suspicions down. The girl shrugged.

"It was okay."

"Haru mopped the floor with her classmates." Baron beamed proudly, finally allowing her to walk on her own.

"Mom, there's something else. One of the counselors told me that my father wanted to see me." Baron could see the same shadow pass over Naoko that had passed over Haru.

"What did you do?"

"Told the counselor to tell him that I'm still a minor, and he would have to get your consent before getting close to me."

"Like that will ever happen," Naoko muttered darkly as wrapped her daughter in a fierce embrace. Working one hand loose from her mother's grasp, Haru touched Baron's shoulder, making him glow gold and then change back into a cat doll.

"I think Mom's going to be attached for a while." She said, half-muffled by her mother's shoulder. He smiled understandingly.

"I don't mind. I should catch up on some paperwork anyway."

"Baron? How do you feel about coming over for vegetarian lasagna tonight?" Surprisingly, this came from Naoko. "Muta and Toto could come too, if they don't object to vegetables."

"Marshmallow-Cat will! He has no taste!"

"Take that back!" The two humans and cat doll sighed tiredly.

"We would be honored to join you two for dinner, Ms. Yoshioka."

"Good. We better get started!" Haru managed to wave at Baron before her mother dragged her into the red brick house.

"Do we strike yet?" Muta managed to whisper to Toto as Baron pointedly avoided their squabbling figures in order to enter the Bureau.

"No, they will get suspicious. We need to wait until tomorrow morning."

"Right."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Jeth threw a lamp across the room.

"How bright does a girl have to be in order to leave her book bag at school?!" Toroth threw a band of orange energy across him, binding him hand and foot.

"Until you regain control of yourself, you will stay bound." Waving his hand again, the lamp unsmashed itself and flew toward Jeth like a movie in reverse, but Toroth caught it in his hand.

"I would also recommend that you don't destroy my wife's property." After half an hour, Jeth calmed down enough for Toroth to release the bonds.

"So, what is the next plan? Her mother has brainwashed her into refusing to see me, and we won't be able to locate her again until the graduation ceremony."

"Then we will wait. With that abomination so close to her, we have little choice."

"But he's using her to get at me!" Jeth howled.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_Haru was in the artisan's grasp once more, and he was looking at her in a way that she had never known from a man before. Like a proud father._

"_I even have a present for you."_

"_Really, what is it?" A seed of childish excitement burst into bloom inside her chest. Did her voice always sound like that? The gentle old man chuckled, brought her to a wall, and then turned her so she could face the table propped against it. A lone cat doll stood at attention. _

'_Baron!' Her outburst went unspoken. He was standing in his usual pose, one hand behind his back and the other holding his cane across his chest. As she looked at him, he slowly changed from wood to flesh, and he took off his top hat and held it over his heart in a gentlemanly greeting. A sense of awe swept over her. Hadn't he done that when they first met?_

"_Good evening, Miss. I am the Baron Humbert von Gikkingen." The artisan gently placed Haru on the table so that she could curtsy to him._

"_Good evening, Baron. I'm…" Haru paused, like she didn't have a clue what her name was. She turned to the old man for assistance, which he freely gave._

"_Your name is Lou-"_

"Haru!" She jumped out of her new canopied bed and looked around. The morning sun was casting bright beams on her walls. Or at least they would, if Toto wasn't taking up her entire window, which was large enough for Haru to be able to stand with her arms outstretched and not be able to touch both sides.

"Morning, Toto. What's up?"

"Nothing much, just a bit of interesting news."

"Did Muta get sick from eating all that lasagna?"

"No, nothing can beat his stomach. It's about Baron." Haru threw off her covers and walked up to Toto.

"That's the magic word to ensure my undivided attention. What about Baron?"

"It's his birthday tomorrow."

"Are you serious?" Haru ran around the room, trying to find a decent outfit to wear. Toto politely turned his back so she could dress in privacy.

"I wish you had told me sooner, I don't have a clue on what to get him!"

"If you're willing to sneak out quietly, I can escort you to the outside world to find something before Baron notices you're gone."

"You'd do that? Thanks Toto!" Now dressed in a green t-shirt and a cream-colored skirt, she grabbed her purse and climbed onto the crow. He sailed gracefully down near the entrance door they had been using. Rubbing her hands together, Haru asked him, "You do know that live birds aren't allowed in most stores?"

"I was fully expecting you to fix that boundary. Baron will be angry enough that I took you without him, let alone let me explain store policies." She placed her hands on his feathers, and he glowed blue for a second before changing into a dark-haired youth a bit older than her self, wearing black slacks and matching shirt with a leather jacket. He would have looked more intimidating if he wasn't giving a teenage girl a piggy back ride. He set her down, and she rubbed her hands again before touching the doorknob.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Are they gone?" Baron whispered from his high-back chair as Muta peeked out of the window.

"Yeah, they just went through the portal. I guess Bird-brain managed to find a decent reason to get Haru out of here for a few hours."

"Which will give me time to think of something." Baron started pacing the room as Muta crashed on his favorite couch. "I wish she had told me that tomorrow's her birthday, this doesn't exactly lend me a decent amount of time to work with."

"And you couldn't even ask her to turn you into a human and open the portal for you without her getting suspicious."

"Not that it would have helped. Creations don't need money, so we never have it." Baron thought hard. What would Haru/Louise like that he could give her? What could say without words how much he cared for her? "Maybe her mother could help me." He mused aloud.

"No good. Naoko's working on something top secret for Haru, and left orders that she is not to be disturbed."

"And now that you know what a great cook she is-wait a minute. You call her Naoko?"

"Sure, why not?" Baron looked at his friend for a second. He had never expressly said even Ms. Yoshioka before, and now this?

"Never mind, it just means that you're willing to do whatever she says?"

"That's pretty close." Baron turned again to pace the room some more. What could he possibly give her? His mind trailed back to his fiancée, and how much she had adored life. One of her favorite sights was the one just outside the window of the café they had resided in after their maker had died… Baron grinned. That would do very nicely.

"Did you think of something?" Muta had noticed the sudden change of mood.

"Actually, I did." Opening the trunk in the corner, Baron pulled out a pair of scissors, and exited his home to walk around the back. As soon as the doll left, the true cat sighed heavily with relief. Baron hadn't even noticed that something of his was missing. The plan was working perfectly.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"Come on, Toto. There are only a few more stores left." The ex-bird had collapsed on one of the benches from exhaustion. He had been foolish enough to let her take him to a mall.

"Give me a break, Haru. We've been walking for hours, and you know I'm not used to using my legs so much." She had to sympathize with him.

"All right, I'll get you a berry smoothie." He lifted his head enough to look at her in confusion.

"A berry what?"

"Smoothie. Just walk inside the store over here and I'll show you." He limped after her inside a small café and collapsed on the nearest chair.

"Wait here." She walked up to the counter, and returned shortly with two tall paper cups filled with a purple fluid, and a hollow stick poking out of each glass. Toto warily eyed the glass she set in front of him.

"Uh, Haru?"

"You suck it up the straw like this." She demonstrated, and Toto followed her example after a little hesitation. Approximately one minute later, he was bent over his empty glass, holding his head between his hands in obvious pain.

"Oh, berry goodness, how could you betray me?"

"You weren't supposed to drink the whole thing in one go!" Haru reached over and started rubbing his temples. "You need to keep doing this until the brain freeze thaws off."

"Am I interrupting anything?" Haru looked up at the new voice, slightly surprised to see Hiromi, arms full of bags from the various outlets.

"Toto here drank his entire smoothie in under a minute!"

"Oh dear." The blonde placed her bags next to their table and helped rub the dark man's temples. Another minute passed before he looked up to see his companion's friend.

"Thanks for your help. I'm Toto, by the way." Hiromi's hands froze, and a light blush crossed her cheeks as she got a good look at this handsome youth.

"Erm, no problem. I'm Hiromi."

"Oh, so you're the friend Haru was telling us about." He extended a hand to her and shook it cheerfully. "It's nice to meet you, although we probably would have by tomorrow anyway." Hiromi's brain seemed to be moving in the slowest gear.

"She…mentioned me?"

"Sure, Haru said that she invited you over after graduation tomorrow." Hiromi's eyes widened a bit.

"You mean…" The green-eyed girl nodded.

"Toto's one of Baron's friends. He helped me break out of the retreat so that I could find a gift for him."

"Why should you find a gift for _him_ if you're graduating and-" Toto gently but firmly pressed his foot over hers to silence her. When she looked at him in confusion, he said,

"Haru, is there a way I could get a glass of water? This brain freeze is killing me."

"Sure, one second." The white-haired girl left the table for the counter again, and Toto whispered fast to her friend.

"Haru doesn't remember that tomorrow's her birthday, and we want to keep it that way because of the surprise party we're holding at the retreat after graduation." Hiromi slowly nodded in understanding.

"Okay, I'll keep quiet." Toto leaned back in his seat and grinned at her.

"Thanks. Her mom's going all out for this and needed Haru gone for a few more hours today, so I volunteered to distract her. Are you going to stay for the party after Haru explains everything about Baron?" She looked at him for a second.

"I just might, but I'll help you distract her for a few more hours. How long have you known Baron?" He laughed hard.

"Since the day he was born."

"Is he really, um, I don't know how to describe it…" Toto grinned again.

"Courteous? A perfect gentleman? Good at everything? British?"

"I guess. A lot of kids at school think that he has Haru under a spell, and that's why she's been changing so much."

"You mean the hair and eyes?"

"That too, but she's also been developing talents that she's never touched before, and yesterday, when some kids tried to talk to her about Baron, she started yelling at them in German." His eyebrows shot up.

"She knows German?"

"Not to my knowledge." Toto smiled kindly at her, and the blonde started to feel a blush coming on.

"I can assure you that Baron can't work magic, and the only spell he has cast over Haru is what any normal man can accomplish with patience."

"Except Machida, apparently."

"Who's Machida?"

"A guy from school that can't take a hint." Haru had returned with the water, which she placed in front of him.

"You mean Baron never mentioned him to you, Toto?" Hiromi asked him as he sipped at the water, smiling with relief.

"Never, although I knew that a young man was pursuing Haru."

"Hold it. If neither of us ever mentioned him, and I never said a word to Mom, how would you know?" Toto blushed slightly and sweat-dropped as both girls stared at him. Putting one hand behind his head, he said nervously,

"Baron would sometimes ask me or Muta to check on you, to see how you were doing." Haru blinked.

"Oh. Why didn't you ever approach me?"

"Baron said that you fought too hard to keep a normal life to have us intrude."

"Haru, what does he mean? Who's Muta?" She and Toto looked at Hiromi, wondering how to explain.

"Remember that I said Baron owns a non-profit business?"

"Yes."

"Well, I got into trouble with a gang a couple months back, and Baron, along with Toto here and Muta, helped me get out of it." Hiromi glared.

"Is that all you're going to say?"

"For now. I promised to give you the full story tomorrow, remember?"

"Why not now?"

"Because I promised tomorrow, and I still don't have a clue on what to give Baron."

"Why do you need a gift for him?"

"Because it's his birthday tomorrow." Hiromi looked sharply at Toto, who grinned and nodded.

"She's been dragging me through this labyrinth to help her find the right gift."

"Except I can't think of anything! Baron clearly doesn't need anything, and nothing in these stores seems to suit him." Hiromi rested her head between her hands on the table.

"That's a bit of a problem. What about a tie?"

"He has several. Besides, I want my gift to say something more than 'I couldn't think of anything better to give you'." Hiromi stared at Haru, her mind suddenly on a completely different track.

"Haru, since when have you had a British accent?" The white-haired girl stared at her friend.

"Pardon?" Hiromi was further freaked, since Haru had never used that word before.

"I'm serious; you're starting to talk like Baron." She blinked, and then shrugged uncaringly.

"At least the accent I'm copying is an extremely attractive one."

"Since when do you say attractive instead of cool or hot?"

"Are you going to finish your smoothie, Haru?" Both girls looked at him in surprise. "I promise to take small sips this time." She slid the paper cup over to him, and he gripped it between his hands like a gold-sifter. "My precious…" Hiromi burst out laughing, and Toto turned to her in surprise. "What? I really like this stuff." He took a small sip and shuddered with delight.

"If you think the berry smoothie's good, you should try the ultra-chocolate one."

"Thanks, Hiromi. I always wanted to have one of my friends in a sugar-induced coma."

"Oh, Haru, advocate of fruits and grains," Hiromi said sympathetically, her voice dropping to a low tone. "You don't know the power of the dark side."

"Beg pardon?" Toto didn't catch the reference, but Haru jumped a foot out of her seat.

"That's it!" She grabbed the dark-haired youth by the arm and started dragging him off.

"Wait! I didn't finish your shake!" Touched by the imploring look in his eyes, Hiromi grabbed the almost full cup and ran after them, bags forgotten.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The sun was beginning to set when Haru and Toto snuck back into the refuge. Clutching a small plastic bag close to her, Haru scanned for Baron while she changed Toto back with one hand.

"Mom must be frantic with worry by now," she whispered.

"No, I let her know before I woke you up." The slim girl slid onto the crow's back so he could fly her to her new room window.

"Thanks for today, Toto. I'd have felt like a fool tomorrow if it weren't for you." He grinned evilly.

"No problem. I enjoyed meeting Hiromi on a regular level; she's a great girl."

"You're saying that because she gave you the rest of my smoothie." Toto smiled foolishly.

"I never realized just how much I was missing out, having a beak instead of lips. You will be changing us into humans for the graduation, right?" Haru started hunting around her room for some wrapping paper.

"If you guys wanted to come, I'd have to. Animals of any sort aren't allowed on campus. It's just the senior class walking around and grabbing a rolled up piece of paper."

"Hiromi will be there, right?" She stopped her search to look at him, a smirk of suspicion evident.

"Toto, are you crushing on my best friend?" She couldn't tell if he was blushing, due to the darkness of his feathers, but he suddenly lost the ability to look her in the eye.

"I don't know what you mean." Haru decided to let it go for now.

"Yeah, she'll be there." Toto smiled again and turned to fly out the window.

"I better see how well the piggy-cat has been keeping Baron busy. See you later." After he left, Haru found a large sheet of blank paper that she started decorating with tiny masks and swords before wrapping around her purchase.

"Haru, are you up there?" Haru slipped the package underneath the bed before answering.

"Yeah, Mom. I guess I was more wiped out from yesterday's meet than I thought." The older woman laughed, knowing full well that wasn't the case.

"Of course you were. How do tacos sound?"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Baron was reading a book when Toto came through his balcony window. Muta had long disappeared to help Naoko with dinner preparations.

"I kept Haru busy for eight hours. You had better have found something decent."

"Don't worry, Toto. It's all taken care of." He turned a page. "What did you do to keep her busy?"

"Followed her around in stores, met up with her best friend, little stuff like that."

"I see." Baron placed a bookmark in his place before setting it aside. "I'll take the wonderful smells from her house to mean that Ms. Yoshioka finished her surprise for Haru?"

"She must have, or she would have sent the signal to keep her daughter busy longer." The orange cat smiled, his respect for Haru's mother continuing to grow.

"I'll see if she needs more help with dinner."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

_Haru turned back to Baron, feeling a large smile on her face._

"_Yes, that is my name." 'What is?' Baron smiled kindly at her and kissed her gloved hand. 'Oh be still, my beating heart.' _

"_Well, my child?" The two on the table looked up to the man's face. "What do you think of my gift for you?" She turned back to Baron, who was anxiously waiting for her verdict. He was a gift for her? Not bad at all._

"_I think he's charming." Both of the men grinned at her. 'Good call.' She addressed Baron next._

"_Why is he so much taller than us?"_

"_It's because he's a human, and we're Creations."_

"_Creations?" 'Wait, why am I asking this? I already know what a Creation is!' The old man answered the partial question._

"_I made you and the Baron using my hopes and dreams. By doing this, the two of you gained a part of a soul."_

"_This means that as long as we're together, we can come to life." Baron had taken both of her hands, and Haru was moved by the naked emotion in his eyes as he kissed her hands again. A blush heated her cheeks._

"_I have my own gift for you." Reaching into the inside pocket of his white suit jacket, Baron pulled out something small enough to cover with his fist. Extending the hand to her, he slowly opened his palm…_

"Beep beep beep beep!" Her alarm clock rang out, and she struggled to find the snooze button from underneath her sheets. Blast, her mom had moved the alarm clock so that she would have to get out of bed in order to shut off the racket. Struggling to open her eyes, she thought about her dream as she stumbled across her room to reach the alarm button.

Haru had been having a lot of weird dreams, now that she thought about it. They seemed to run in sequence, one picking up where the last dropped off. What was Baron about to show her? She laughed at herself.

"Man, I've really got it bad for him."

"Bad for whom?" She jumped a foot in the air and turned to see Muta, desperately trying to balance on her windowsill. The sight was slightly hilarious, and helped calm her down.

"Isn't it obvious? What are you doing on my window?"

"To ask a favor, actually." Muta actually looked sheepish, so she knew it had to be good.

"I'm listening."

"I, um, couldn't help but notice that you changed both Baron and Toto into humans near your own age."

"That's right. Wait, how did-"

"Who'd ya think distracted Baron so you could do your thing yesterday? Anyway, I thought you might find it interesting that when you translate my cat years into human years…um…" Haru took notice of the blush on Muta's face. She grinned, guessing the rest.

"Your age would be slightly more than my mother's?"

"Yeah, exactly!"

"And you would appreciate it if when I change you into a human for the graduation ceremony, I change you to that age?"

"Would you? And make it sound like it was completely your idea? The last thing I want is for Toto to-" He started babbling while Haru walked over to him and wrapped him in as much of a hug as she could manage, which cut off Muta's sentence.

"You don't have to worry about a thing. I'll do it." He beamed and wrapped her in a hug of his own.

"You're a good kid." With a shock, Haru realized that this was the second male she had ever hugged in her life, the first being Baron. Since she didn't have a real father, Haru had never had the practice she needed in order to talk to boys. This contributed to her awkwardness growing up, and made it difficult to communicate with the opposite gender until she met Baron. For some reason, her thoughts always led back to him…

"Haru! Are you up yet?" Muta's blush returned with a vengeance as he released the girl.

"Thanks again." He slipped through the opening and deftly slid down the side of the house. Haru had to stifle her laughter. First Toto and now Muta?

"I'm up, Mom! Be down in a few minutes."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Are you guys ready yet?" Haru had her cap and gown draped over one arm, and was wearing a powder-blue shirt with her favorite cream skirt. She had been waiting for Muta and her mother to finish fussing so they could leave, but they wouldn't stop.

"Just change us into humans now, and we'll catch up." Toto flew over her and landed next to Baron.

"That would be the safest plan, since you do need to be there early, and there's no telling how long they'll be at whatever they're doing in there. Can I keep my regular clothes this time?" Haru had to grin at Baron.

"Sure. The dress policy for the audience is a lot looser than it is for the graduating class." She brushed him with a golden touch. "Yes, you definitely look better in your usual outfit." Baron could now easily pass for a nobleman. He grinned at her, making the familiar blush resurface.

"Thank you."

"Me next!" Toto glowed blue, and became a young man again, although the blush was new.

"Worm-breath! Hold this for a second, will you?!" Toto ran back inside the red house, and Muta ran out a second later. Neither Baron nor Haru dared to ask just what they were doing in the house. A flash of yellow later, the former cat doll had to ask.

"Haru, why is Muta older?" She scoffed.

"Come on, like he could have pulled off being a teenager? He's much more convincing at this age." Muta wasn't as ridiculously heavy as a human, although outsiders may understand any fat jokes directed at him. His hair was the same color as the spot of brown that had previously covered his left ear. He gave Haru a wink that only she could see.

"You two go ahead, I'll bring Mommy and Drumsticks."

"We can hear you!" rang out two voices from within the door. Haru turned the knob of the house next to hers.

"This door will automatically go to the side entrance, and Mom can direct you from there. See ya!" A flash of sunlight poured from the open door, and then disappeared as the door closed.

"Are they gone?" Naoko peaked through the open door, and blushed at seeing a human Muta.

"Yeah, they're gone. We'd better hurry."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

After closing the side door behind them, Haru suddenly smacked her forehead and started laughing.

"Did you forget something?"

"Yes, but I forgot it here!" Checking her watch, she said, "We have enough time to pick up my bag from the locker room before I report to the lines."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Hiromi had been in a daze since the day before. She hardly even registered when her mother yelled at her to hurry up, or when she almost forgot the cap and gown.

"_Are you going to stay for the party…?"_ Hiromi couldn't get the strange man out of her mind. She had been able to find a dressy outfit that wouldn't draw notice from Haru. She hoped it would from Toto, though. _What's wrong with me? I'm after Tsuge._ Too bad he's never noticed her. Sometimes it felt like she was invisible. _Is this why Haru stopped caring about Machida?_ Toto's face came back to her, his slightly wild grin entrancing her as she hurried to the school. _Toto…_


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

"Here, let me get that for you." Baron firmly took the bag from Haru as she exited the girl's locker room.

"Why thank you, good sir." Giggling, she took his free arm and headed for the field, now blanketed with folding chairs and dotted with students and parents. As they walked towards the building that the seniors were supposed to march out of, Haru marveled at how Baron's arm seemed to have been carved just right for her.

Man, did that artisan know how to give a present! A light blush crossed her cheeks as she looked at him from the corner of her eye. He didn't really look all that different to her as a human or cat. He was still the same chivalrous, loving, and wonderful person that she adored. Stopping in front of the door, she slipped the gown over her shoulders and adjusted the cap.

"How's that?" She asked, posing for him.

"You look wonderful." Baron leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"Excuse me." The couple adjusted their gaze to a frazzled looking counselor. "Public displays of affection are not allowed on school grounds." Baron sighed and kissed her hand instead.

"I'll see you afterwards."

"Right." She slipped past the counselor and tried to find Hiromi in the huge room that was slowly filling with fellow seniors.

"Haru!" She turned to see who was calling her and groaned. Machida was closing in on her fast.

"Whatever baloney you're about to tell me about Baron-"

"Relax, this isn't about him."

"Oh. Then what is it?"

"I thought you should know; your father's in town and he really wants to see you." Haru narrowed her eyes at him.

"I believe I made my feelings about meeting my so-called father clear last time he attempted to contact me. He needs to get permission from my mother first."

"Haru, you're graduating; you can't hide behind your mother anymore."

"All right, then I refuse to see him because he couldn't be bothered to contact his family for eighteen years and then expects it to welcome him back with open arms."

"Things got complicated-" He was cut off by Haru's near maniacal laughter that caused several people to turn and stare at her with concern.

"Eighteen years, Machida. And I stand by my decision."

"Line up, please."

"Haru, just listen; Baron's already-"

"-the best thing that's ever happened to me." She firmly turned on her heel and walked away from him.

"Haru, please!" He tried to follow, but a counselor firmly grabbed his ear and pulled him to his assigned spot in line.

"You can chase pretty girls to your heart's content later!"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Baron didn't have any trouble finding Muta, Toto, and Naoko, since Muta tends to stick out in a crowd.

"So, what's so important that you three are willing to risk being late for?" The trio sweat-dropped.

"Mmm, just cleaning and stuff." Naoko provided. Baron smiled. They must have been planning a surprise for Haru, and had needed him to distract her.

"Of course." They found seats near the middle of the sea of chairs, and had to fight devoted grandparents for them. Eventually, the ceremony started, and Muta was snoring before the first speaker was finished with his part.

"I envy how he can drop off like that," Naoko muttered, mock-glaring at the man next to her. After the first two speakers were done, the senior class marched in. Machida was able to pick out Baron in the crowd, thanks to the white outfit, and glared at his rival while he passed by and took his seat. Baron didn't notice; his spirit soaring when he saw Haru gliding like a queen down the aisle. She winked at him as she passed.

'_This is coming along very nicely.'_

"Hey, who's the guy giving you the death glare?" Baron tore his eyes from her to answer Muta.

"A young man that feels resentment towards my being near Haru."

"That must be Machida. Not too impressive." Toto and Muta were finally able to agree on something. Naoko gave the graduate a quick look-over. She could see why Haru might have fallen for this boy before meeting Baron, but he was obviously no match for the cat-doll that had stolen her daughter's heart. Shifting her gaze to the white-suited youth beside her, she noted with amusement that his eyes were already locked on the only graduate with white hair. She smiled sadly, knowing how long he's been waiting for her.

_Thank heaven; I can finally fulfill my promise to you, Louise. Soon, you'll both be free._

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

After the ceremony, Muta wasted no time in telling everyone that it was one of the most boring experiences of his life.

"Try a pep rally." Haru was unsympathetic.

"Besides, you were sleeping most of the way through." Naoko couldn't help but add.

"I still don't see what everyone was laughing about."

"Everyone could hear you snoring above the speakers. I must say, it was a definite improvement." Baron had already linked arms with Haru, and the group was heading toward the side door. She suddenly stopped short.

"Wait. I still need to find Hiromi."

"She's over there!" Toto pointed out to the field, where a quick stop photographer had set up shop. Hiromi was posing with her parents and little brother. Haru fought the urge to laugh that Toto had been the one to spot her friend.

"Let's get her!" Haru led the group over to the blonde. "Ready to go?" Hiromi nodded, blushing to see Toto again.

"Care for a family picture?" The photographer had just handed Hiromi's father an 8x10 glossy. Haru turned to her mother.

"Do we have time?"

"It's just a picture." Naoko led Haru to the front of the camera and posed. The man adjusted his camera.

"Wait." Naoko looked at her daughter with surprise. "If this is going to be a family portrait, than the whole family should be in it. Baron, Toto, Muta; get over here!" The three men stared at her, but did as they were told. Baron linked his arm with Haru, and Muta stood next to Naoko with one hand behind his head, blushing badly. Toto stood off to the side, unsure of what to do. Haru sensed his unease.

"Hiromi! You get in here too."

"But I'm not-"

"Yes, you are. Do as you're told." Haru had always considered her friend to be the sister she never had. Blushing a bit, Hiromi stood next to Toto, who was also a lovely shade of red.

"If you people could control the blushing, this would make an excellent picture." The photographer waited a few more seconds before pushing the button. When he handed Haru her 8x10 glossy, she was amazed at what she saw.

All the other times she had posed for a family portrait, it had just been her and her mother. Her family seemed so small when she looked at other family's portraits, but when she looked at this one, it didn't seem so lonely. She could see that her mother and Muta were holding hands, and Toto had stepped very close to Hiromi. Baron's arms had slipped around her body and were hugging her from behind, his chin resting on top of her graduation cap, his top hat creating an echo effect. Naoko looked over her daughter's shoulder and grinned.

"It's the best one we've ever had."

"Can we go now?" Muta was getting impatient, but he obviously liked the portrait too, if the grin on his face was any indication. He still hadn't let go of her mother's hand.

"Where are we going?" Hiromi was shocked that Haru trusted these men enough to include them in such a delicate matter as a family portrait.

"You'll see."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

By the time Machida, his father, and Jeth arrived at the photo booth, the group had already passed through the back door of the school, closing with a decided thud.

"This is terrible." Jeth slammed a fist into the wall, cracking a few of the bricks. Machida brightened his mood.

"It would be, if I didn't see what Baron was carrying."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

"Surprise!!!" Muta, Toto, and Naoko sang out as Baron, Haru and Hiromi looked around in wonder. A few streamers had been laid around the refuge, and Haru could see her CD player and collection propped on a table from the red house.

"What on earth is going on, where are we?" Hiromi had expected to enter the school, since they had gone through the right door. How had they ended up in this place?

"Sorry." Haru regained her senses. "I'll ask for an explanation for the décor later. I need you to hold still, Hiromi." The blonde couldn't help but flinch as the white-haired girl placed a hand on both sides of the blonde's face and closed her eyes. Suddenly, a flurry of images passed through her mind. Hiromi saw everything through Haru's eyes from the cat she had rescued a few months earlier to a rollercoaster ride on top of a flock of crows. Staggering from the firm grasp, Hiromi looked at her best friend with wild eyes.

"What was that just now?"

"That was my explanation for why I've been acting strange for the past couple months. And why I trust Baron with my life." Hiromi tried to sort all of the images racing through her mind, and she sank down onto the pavement with her head between her hands. "Actually, you're taking it a lot better than Mom did. When she found out, she chased me up that pillar." Hiromi followed her friend's gesture to look up at the pedestal and switched her gaze to Toto.

"You're a bird?"

"I'm a crow gargoyle, but close enough." Hiromi shook her head and started to laugh.

"That definitely explains why you didn't know better about the smoothie."

"What smoothie?" Muta's interest was peaked now, and Toto desperately gestured to Hiromi not to go into details. She caught the message, and changed the subject.

"Wow, no wonder Haru never told me what was going on! Wait, how did you put your memories into my head? Why are we smaller than you were when you came here?"

"I'm in possession of a power that comes from Baron's maker's stone. That's why he's been keeping me and Mom here. It was activated a few days ago, and there are some dangerous people after it."

"So that's why you've been changing." Hiromi got off the pavement and bowed low to Baron and Haru. "Please forgive me for anything I have done or said against either of you and for my stupidity. I should have trusted your judgment, Haru." The slim girl embraced the other.

"I already told you, if I was in your position, I'd have thought the same things, more or less."

"Can we move on to new business?" Muta was getting irritated that the surprise wasn't getting the response they had hoped for, since Hiromi had stolen most of the thunder.

"All right, Muta." Baron couldn't wait for the look on Haru's face…

"Happy birthday, Haru and Baron!!!" Even Hiromi had joined in the chorus, having had a warning from the day before. Baron and Haru looked at each other in shock for a few seconds.

"June 1st?" Haru asked in a small voice.

"June 1st." Baron couldn't believe it. He had forgotten his own birthday! Haru had apparently done the same thing, since she looked as shocked as he felt.

Slowly, laughter began to burst from both of them, until their ribs were aching.

"Man, they got us good!" Haru was barely able to gasp the sentence.

"I have to admit, this was the _last _thing I was expecting!" Baron couldn't remember the last time Toto and Muta managed to outmaneuver him. Haru's mother must have been the mastermind behind the scheme. By the time they got over their mirth, Naoko had approached them with a gift in each hand.

"You two had better like these; I've been working overtime for two days." The birthday couple delicately unwrapped the paper from the boxes.

"No, no, you're supposed to rip it off!" Hiromi was a bit indignant that they were doing this so neatly. Baron was able to open his first, since the box was a bit smaller than Haru's. He pulled out a beautiful new crimson vest with modest yellow embroidery.

"Thank you, Ms. Yoshioka. It's wonderful."

"I even asked Muta to sneak me one of your vests, to get the size right." Baron looked at his friend in surprise.

"Hey, I put it back!" Haru had just opened her box, and was staring wide-eyed at the contents.

"Come on, Haru. Let's see it!" Hiromi was leaning over Toto, one hand on his shoulder. Shaking slightly, Haru reached into the box and pulled out a beautiful lavender dress. The design was simple, but had an air of elegance to it. Baron's breath caught in his throat. He'd seen a dress like that before.

"Mom, this is gorgeous." Haru said breathlessly, her eyes misting over. She seemed a bit confused. Hiromi leaned forward to touch a sleeve.

"Wow, what are you doing making quilts when you could be a designer?" Naoko smiled mischievously, loving the look on Baron's pale face. Haru was still staring at the dress, shaking her head slightly.

"I'm pretty sure I've seen a dress like this before, but I can't quite-"

"What are you waiting for, Haru? Go try it on!" Haru nodded numbly and directed her friend to the new home. As soon as the door had closed, Baron wheeled around to face Naoko.

"How…" was all he could manage to say. Muta and Toto looked confused at his reaction, since he rarely lost his composure. Naoko couldn't stop smiling.

"I want one thing clear, Baron. If you break my daughter's heart, I'll break you. Fair?" His mind was swept into turmoil.

"You would have to know…" he whispered. Naoko patted his shoulder.

"Why don't you try on the vest before she comes back out? I'm sure you left something important at the Bureau anyway." Baron's mind began to function normally, and he understood completely.

"Thank you, Ms. Yoshioka." As he turned to run to his home, he could hear Naoko's reply.

"Might as well start calling me Mom."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"What was _that_ about?" Muta questioned Naoko as Baron disappeared inside the Bureau.

"I don't know what you mean." The ecstatic smile on her face indicated her false sincerity.

"Yes, you do. Why was Baron so disturbed by that dress?" Naoko kept grinning as she headed for one of the abandoned houses.

"Could you help me with the cake, Muta?"

"That can wait. Please tell me what's going on." He had grabbed her hand, and she turned to face him.

"If all goes well, you will know everything before the night's over." She fondly patted his hand, making him blush. Toto struggled to keep his mirth under control. Part of the agreement was that he and Muta wouldn't fight for the rest of the night, which would prove to be a hard promise to keep. The former fat cat couldn't stay more than five feet away from the middle-aged woman. Toto's eyes darted toward the red house, wondering how long Hiromi would stay in there with Haru.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Baron managed to change vests and be back in the square before Haru was, and he carefully held something behind his back with one hand. Hiromi exited the building first, the graduation gown replaced by a red party dress. She smirked at Baron as she walked over to Toto.

"He's a goner." She couldn't help but whisper to Toto, who had a similar smirk.

"He's been a goner ever since they met." '_Cardinal red is a good color for her. I wonder what type of bird she would be.'_

"He'll be more so when Haru walks out. By the way, what's it like to fly?"

Hiromi didn't get her answer then, since Haru appeared at the door, a light blush decorating her cheeks. Naoko and Muta looked up from arguing over the music to see the birthday girl. The dress looked lovely on her, complimenting the fairness of her skin and lighting her eyes on fire in contrast. Baron turned pale, and then blushed. The sight was so familiar.

_If she was a cat…_

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The candles flared up once, and then were snuffed out. An irresistible tugging began to pull at the three men evenly spaced around the chalk circle.

"Hold on, Haru." Machida whispered. There was no way on earth that Baron was going to escape unscathed this time.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

"Fancy meeting you here." Okay, so Haru could have picked something better to say to Baron. He grinned at her and pulled his concealed arm from behind his back. Her face lit up with delight. "Lilies!" She jumped on him and wrapped one arm around his neck while using the other to bring the fragrant blossoms closer to her face. "How did you know I'm crazy for these?" His grin deepened.

"Lucky guess." She kissed his cheek, but then faltered.

"My gift for you isn't half as good."

"Let me be the judge of that." Haru shyly retrieved the slightly heavy present she had left on the steps and handed it to him. He swiftly unwrapped it, revealing a complete series of books. "Star Wars." He grinned at her again.

"Well, I never got around to explaining the thing I did to Ms. Hashiko, so-"

"Wait, you did a Jedi mind trick on her?" Hiromi didn't know whether to be more horrified or amused.

"Please Hiromi. I haven't read them yet." Baron carefully folded the wrapping to rest underneath the books as he set them down. Wrapping him arms around Haru, he said, "I have reread every book in my house so many times…it will be nice to read something new." Haru blushed with pleasure, and rested her head on his shoulder as she hugged him back.

"There's a lot more where that came from." Naoko let them have a moment before borrowing Haru to provide power to the CD player. A beautiful waltz began to echo through the square as Baron bowed low to his lady.

"Excuse me, would you care to dance?" Haru smiled and gave him her hand.

"I would love to." Leading her out to an area clear of tables, the couple began their waltz.

"That's just not fair." Hiromi said conversationally to Toto as they watched Baron and Haru effortlessly glide around the pillar.

"What isn't?"

"That she can do that. Every time she's tried to dance in the past, her partner usually ended up in the nurse's office, and now she does this? I'd call that unfair."

"Are you any good?" She turned to him in surprise, a light blush on her cheeks.

"I can handle my own."

"Show me." He grabbed her hand and led her to another section of the square. Having never danced before, Hiromi had to give him a crash course. Muta was enjoying Toto's discomfort, but knew better than to say anything.

"You can stop smirking now." Naoko was standing next to him by the CD player.

"I'll stop when you do." A slight discomfort took the bite of Muta's evil smile away, and he moved around uneasily, trying to get rid of the feeling. Realizing what it was, he looked at the red-headed woman next to him and blushed a bit. He mumbled something that she didn't understand.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Wanna dance?" He repeated himself, holding out a hand imploringly to her. Naoko brightened and took it.

"Do you know how?"

"No, but we could work around it." She laughed light-heartedly as he led her away to another part of the square, where they simply circled each other instead of trying fancy moves.

Naoko had to admit a growing affection for Muta. Ever since she had seen Haru's memories of how the large cat had protected her only daughter, she started to feel respect for him. These feelings began to grow as they discussed possible culinary decisions, and she was pleased to have finally found someone that genuinely enjoyed her vegetarian recipes enough to necessitate her to make another large dish of it. He didn't even seem as fat as he did when she first saw him.

"Should we get the cake yet?"

"Why spoil the mood? Everyone's fine." Muta glanced at the other two couples, each happily in their own worlds, and she followed his gaze.

"You're right." Slowly, even they became oblivious to everything outside of the dance.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Just for the record Haru; I believe I have a crush on you." She grinned happily and placed one hand on Baron's cheek.

"Also for the record, I admire a man that speaks from the heart." Overhearing her, the other two couples fall over in disbelief.

"What kind of reply is that, Haru?" Hiromi thought for sure that her friend would have taken the time to think of something more romantic than that! Haru had left the conversation on the roof out of Hiromi and her mother's explanation, since was it was too personal, and Baron had never mentioned it to his two friends for the same reason. Baron winced.

"Was that really what it sounded like?"

"Close enough." She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, and he returned it with equal force, wrapping his arms around her waist as she did the same around his neck.

"That's much better," Hiromi approved, but the couple didn't hear her. A wonderful ecstasy filled their souls, and Haru thought she was falling toward earth again. No, she was going the other way! Her soul was shooting into the sky faster than a rocket, and she hoped it would never come back down. Judging from how hard Baron was squeezing her, he felt the same way. Suddenly, their moment of bliss was interrupted by a voice that boomed like thunder.

"Get your filthy lips off my daughter!" The couple reluctantly broke off the kiss to see who had spoken. Three towering men had entered the square, almost hitting the archway with their heads. Machida was easily defined, even by the moonlight, and one of the other two men resembled him strongly. The last man was heading the group, with eyes of hatred directed at Baron. This man had a familiar shade of hair and eyes.

"Oh, no." Naoko groaned in dismay. "Jeth found us." His hot eyes flicked over to her, and growled in disgust.

"Naoko, what are you doing with that man? You're my wife, for crying out loud." Muta's hands were still on her waist and hand. She glared at the father of her child.

"No, I'm not. I filed for divorce after I figured out that you weren't coming home. You would have received notice, but since you were no where to be found, they declared you dead while signing the papers. Huh, figures that you're one of the magicians; what do you want? In case you haven't noticed, we're a bit busy." He glared back at her.

"I noticed." Machida couldn't stay silent much longer.

"Haru, get away from Baron! He's not a human!"

"Yeah, I know." He gaped at her. Jeth again looked at Baron, who had stepped protectively in front of Haru. She looked at her father for the first time in her life.

"How did you find this place?" Baron was sure that the refuge was safe from intruders, nearly impossible to find.

"You were kind enough to bring a tracer with you to this place." Hiromi's thoughts flicked toward the school bag that Baron had deposited near the portal. "I'll get to the point then; Haru, I want you to step away from that _thing_ and come with me. I can figure out a spell to-"

"No." Haru had one hand on Baron's shoulder, and her eyes were filled with fire as she glared at the giant ordering her around. "You lost the right to tell me what to do when you abandoned Mom."

"You don't understand. I had to leave when my leader called. I had no choice."

"What about the past eighteen years? Would it have killed you to have dropped us one lousy postcard in all that time?"

"I thought it would be fruitless, since you were supposed to be a stillborn."

"How did you know about that?" Haru and her friends looked at her mother in surprise. Her gaze didn't waver from that of her ex-husband's. "The doctors declared her dead after you left, so how would you have known?" The white-haired girl's heart froze in dread.

"My master thought that I couldn't handle being a father and his servant, so he worked a spell to kill our child." He, along with everyone else, shifted their gaze to a shell-shocked Haru. "I'm curious as to why it didn't work, since the Master was usually thorough about this kind of thing while he was alive."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Haru slowly met her mother's shame-faced gaze and asked shakingly,

"Mom? Why didn't you mention this?" Naoko walked over to her daughter and embraced her fiercely.

"I didn't want to worry you needlessly, but I guess I should come clean about your birth."

"If you say I'm adopted, I swear I'll scream."

"Relax, you really are my daughter." She ran one hand over her girl's back as she continued the story. "On this morning, eighteen years ago, I felt coldness where you should have been, so I caught a ride to the hospital. The doctors confirmed without a doubt that you were dead inside of me. They gave me the address of the nearest abortion clinic and sent me on my way. I was walking back out the door when sudden warmth flooded my body, and I could feel you kicking around, demanding to get out. The doctors refused to believe me at first, but then I gave birth to you at noon sharp."

"Noon, you say?" Baron couldn't believe the incredible story, or the coincidence of Haru being born at the same time as him as well as the same day. But then again, he could. _Two halves of one soul…_

"That's right. Haru's my miracle girl." She glared up at Jeth. "And I refuse to share her with you. You may have helped create her, but you didn't help with anything else." Haru may have still been clinging to her mother, but her eyes were locked on Baron's, both sets filled with confusion.

'_Baron, what does all this mean?' _He didn't answer her, his eyes imploring, like he wanted her to do something, but was too scared to ask. For some reason, Haru's eyes were drawn to her right hand, crossed over her mother's back. Or, more specifically, her ring finger. _Emerald?_

"You're missing the point here. She's my daughter too, and I refuse to let her be sacrificed to a Creation who's just using her to get at me."

"I beg your pardon?" Jeth glared at Baron again.

"Oh, as if you didn't know she was my daughter, and you aren't using the Cat's Eye to turn her into your dead Louise?" A collective gasp was heard from the smaller group, and Haru wheeled around to face her father.

"What did you say?"

"Caught your attention, did I? I said that Baron's using a powerful jewel to turn you into a replacement for his fiancée that I burned twenty years ago."

"What?!" When Jeth was slammed against the archway, it wasn't by Baron, although the magician was certain it was.

"Baron has a fiancé? Why was he leading on Haru?" Hiromi's face was filled with horror. Naoko grabbed her shoulder firmly, as well as Muta.

"I have no clue which one to hit; Baron or your ex-husband," he hissed.

"Let this play out. You can have my ex afterwards." Her voice was stone-firm, although her eyes were filled with undisguised anguish and hatred. Hiromi, Toto, and Muta couldn't understand what Naoko was thinking, considering the fact that Baron was obviously playing her daughter for a fool. Haru walked up to her father and shrunk him and his companions so she could grab two handfuls of his shirt.

"What did you say her name was?!" He smirked at her as Machida walked up next to his daughter.

"That's what I tried to tell you today before graduating. Baron's just using you to-" That was as far as Machida got, since Haru flicked her arm once. That sank the offending trio onto the pavement, which solidified around their waists. Sinking down to stay at eye level, she addressed her father again.

"Answer the question!!" She gripped a handful of his dark hair and shook his head around, making him grimace.

"It was Louise, okay? Your mother got her from her mother and owned the doll all of her junior high and high school days, and I needed a reason to get Naoko to drop her boyfriend so I could have her. I implanted memories of the burning into his mind, and he was too guilty to keep seeing her." Haru's heart went cold, and goose bumps appeared on her arms. Everyone else's gaze shifted back to Naoko, who didn't even flinch. "Of course, I didn't realize at the time that her precious doll was one of the two Creations made by the last known bearer of the Cat's Eye, but the descriptions I received later matched a little too perfectly. My master was pleased that I had destroyed one of them."

"So you snuck into her room as a shadow and burned Louise while my mother slept?!" Baron glanced sharply at Naoko, recognizing the pattern. She nodded gravely at him.

"Yeah, but how did you know I snuck in as a shadow?" Haru didn't answer him, but let go of his hair and stood up, new understanding in her eyes.

_Is it possible?_ She looked at her hands again, seeing in her mind how they would look with long white gloves. A ring sparkled on her finger in her mind's eye. Her body gave a shudder, and revealed what should have been the next part of her last dream.

When Baron had opened his hand to her, a small engagement ring winked at her, the polished jewel sparkling with life.

"_Haru, do you have a small green stone in your possession?"_ Baron's words came back to her like a thunderbolt.

_Hold it, even if what I'm thinking is true, Baron never would have given something like the Cat's Eye to a girl he cared about. The danger would have been greater than he would have permitted._

"…_you have to know about the Cat's Eye in order to use its power."_

Haru lowered her hands and calmly glided to where Baron was standing. Jeth and Machida eagerly leaned forward to better hear the anticipated rebuke, Toroth not really caring. The snow and lavender figures stood a foot apart.

"Why didn't you tell me her name was Louise?" The magicians would have fallen over in shock, if they hadn't been locked in pavement. Muta, Toto, and Hiromi dropped their jaws, disbelieving that Haru was taking the news so well. The only one unmoved by the revelation that Haru knew about the fiancée was Naoko, whose attention was now locked on Baron, hungering for his reply. The former cat figurine looked lovingly at the white-haired woman in front of him, and raised one hand to caress her cheek. She leaned into his touch.

"For the same reason I helped you when you sought my assistance from the Cat Kingdom. I wanted you to learn the truth about yourself and choose on your own."

_Choose?_ She reached up to caress his cheek as well. _Last time I did this, I felt silky fur instead of smooth skin._ She had told him of her dreams; he had to have known the truth for a while now. Then she understood. If she wanted to walk away from him for deceiving her, or at least not telling the whole story, he'd let her. But could she live with herself if she did it? Would she just be a shadow of Louise if she stayed? Another memory came back to her.

Haru remembered feeling put out that she had been created solely to be with someone, even though she did love him. She had also felt resentment that her beloved received a full name, and she was just Louise. Gaining a human body would have ensured some measure of independence, although her soul was still a part of Baron's. This would definitely explain why her soul shuddered when she had first seen him in the window, why she could talk to cats, and just about everything else. Louise entered the human body to live a life without previous obligations, but Haru wasn't sure that she wanted to leave it that way. One thing decided her.

The look Baron had given Louise when they had first met was the exact same as the one he gave her now. Uncertainty, a hopeless devotion, and most of all, an overwhelming love for the woman in front of him. Smiling, she laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him, listening to the fast-paced heart-beat. She had only seen him nervous twice before, and was sort of enjoying making him sweat.

"You do realize that you're never getting rid of me now, right?" Arms immediately snaked around her and pulled closer.

"I think I could handle that." He ran one hand through her soft hair. All was well with their world, finally righted after sixty years of loneliness.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

"What are you doing?!" Machida was struggling in his rock entrapment, desperately trying to get to the couple. Jeth was having a bit more luck, using his power to slowly break down the stones around him. Toroth looked like he was wishing for a popcorn bowl.

"How long have you known?" Haru asked Baron conversationally, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder.

"Since your mother called you by your full name, although I should have seen the truth much earlier."

"He even admits to hiding the truth from you, and you take him back just like that? Need I remind you that he possesses a stone of immense power that he's been using to turn you into his dead girlfriend?!" Haru reluctantly pulled away from Baron to lean over the wayward schoolboy.

"One question, Machida. Why are you pursuing me?" He stopped struggling to stare at her.

"Because I like you and what Baron's trying to do to you is wrong."

"But why do you like me?" A muscle in his neck started twitching.

"Because you're pretty and stopped liking me after a two-year crush, before you even found out I had broken up with Sakura. I wanted to know why you stopped liking me." Her emerald eyes pierced the pavement-locked youth in front of her.

"You _knew_ about my two-year crush, and you waited until after I was over you to say anything?"

"That's kinda beside the point-"

"No. It's not. I crushed on you because you were cute and opened doors for girls." She walked over to Baron and linked arms with him.

"I fell in love with Baron because he inspires me to become more and better than I already am. When I'm with him, I feel like I could conquer the world if I wanted to. Which I probably could, but that's beside the point." Jeth had broken free of his bonds, and came rushing at Baron. Haru smoothly suspended him in mid-air. He desperately clawed the air, trying to grab hold of something, anything.

"You still don't get it?! He's using the stone to-" Haru held out her hand to him, and made a fountain of flames in her palm. Her ears slowly became more pointed and moved up the sides of her head. Her body slowly grew a snow-white coat of glossy fur, and her face changed shape. Her eyes became slanted as whiskers sprouted on either side of her new cat nose. Her friends gasped, and Jeth stopped struggling, his mouth open in understanding horror, and his face losing all trace of color. When Haru spoke again, it was strained with forced patience.

"Even if Baron had the Cat's Eye, he would never try to turn me into something I'm not."

"Y-you're…" Jeth gasped.

"That's right. If you considered yourself to be a true husband, than you wouldn't have left your wife when she needed you most, or would have contacted her after you left. If you thought you were a real father, you would have taken the trouble to learn your child's whole name before trying to use one as a weapon."

"What does she mean, Jeth?" Toroth was in the game now.

"She's the Creation I killed!"

"But nothing can bring back the dead!"

"True, but then I was just mostly dead." Louise smirked at the floating man, her father and killer.

"Say what?" Toto couldn't understand all this.

"Simple. The artisan who made Baron and me created us to be two halves of one soul. I didn't die all the way because Baron was still alive."

"But how did you end up in a human body?" Muta demanded. Louise gestured to the suspended man.

"After this worm turned my first body to ash, I floated after Naoko, unable to prevent or warn her about the man she was seeing." Turning from her father to face the mother, she gave a sad smile. "I could tell when I was burned that my ring didn't contain an ordinary stone, but I figured out the truth too late for it to help me much." Baron walked up next to her and wrapped his arms around his love, her touch turning him slowly into his true form.

"I'm guessing that our creator was worried about magicians like these taking possession of the stone, and disguised it as the ring I gave Louise when she was completed." Haru nodded.

"The power of the Cat's Eye fused with my soul, but I couldn't use it without a body." She looked at the woman who raised her with love. "I could tell at the time that magic had stolen your baby's life, and that if I did nothing, you may have spent the rest of your life alone. I loved you far too much to let that happen, so I slipped into the vacant body and used the Cat's Eye to solidify the bond between body and soul. I was just lucky that the body was female."

Naoko's eyes began to fill with tears, and Baron had to stand back to allow her to embrace her daughter, both attempting to suffocate the other.

"It was an honor to be your mother, Louise. Thanks for sticking around."

"It was my pleasure." Hiromi let them have a minute before interrupting with a persistent question.

"Hold it, how come you didn't tell her who you were? And why was seeing Baron a surprise to you?" The cat woman leaned her head over her mother's shoulder to grin at her best friend.

"The pressure of two lives was a little too much for my young mind, so I forced myself into a seizure so that I could have a normal life. My old memories didn't rest easily, and Mom had to cut meat out of our diets so that we could both get a decent night's sleep." Naoko squeezed her daughter a little harder.

"That's why I wasn't surprised that my ex-husband had killed my Louise. She had described him perfectly from her fire nightmares, and I had removed his picture from all the family albums while the divorce was being finalized." That line of thought brought their attention back to the two magicians and Machida. Jeth and Toroth had almost broken free of their bonds, but the ex-schoolmate was still bound fast, a horrified stare directed at the Creation he had been chasing.

"You're not a human." He wheezed, unable to breathe.

"My body was born so; do you still think I'm pretty in my true form?" He was unable to answer her, the horror in his eyes speaking for him. She noticed that the magicians were breaking free. "That's enough of that," she said firmly. The glow emanating from the magicians' magic faded slowly, and the two men were still partly bound.

"What have you done?!" Toroth howled, feeling sharply the loss of his life's work.

"I stripped you two of your powers. You've been abusing them of late. Now, what to do with the three of you…" Louise had to think carefully on this.

"Go ahead and kill us." Jeth was still hanging limply from the air like a rag doll, completely demoralized. "I know I'd enjoy it if I were you."

"True, but then you are not me. If anything, I owe you for what you did." Everyone stared at her in shock.

"Are you crazy? If this guy had his way, you'd still be half-dead. I could beat him into a pulp for you, though." Naoko smiled warmly at Muta's offer, which made him blush again.

"Thanks for the offer Muta, but if it wasn't for his intervention, I may never have seen Baron again. For that, he will live." Louise looked carefully at Machida, who ironically was trying to squirm away from the girl he had been pursuing for the past months. "I'll wipe Machida's memories of me, and any friends of his would think that he's so angry with me that he's pretending not to remember." Machida raised his eyebrows, clearly expecting a stronger rebuke than that.

"What about us? You may as well of killed us." She turned to face Toroth, his spirit broken. "Jeth and I have dedicated our lives to magic, and you took it away with a thought. If we return without memories of magic, we will be empty."

"Perhaps you should have considered that possibility before you devoted your lives to something so dangerous. I would have forgiven Jeth completely for killing me if he had been a decent father. Frankly, Muta over here deserves the name more than Jeth does. Even though he's a wanted criminal and a grouch, he's been there when I needed him, which was plenty more than what my biological father did. I look more like Muta in his real form now anyway."

"Wanted criminal?" Jeth asked weakly.

"Wanted criminal?" Hiromi asked, confused.

"Remember, the fish thing?" Muta was blushing with pleasure and embarrassment that Haru liked him that much. Naoko was also blushing a bit, but didn't object to the preference. Hiromi started giggling.

"Oh right. You should have been given a medal for actually pulling that off."

"What fish thing?" Toroth seemed a bit scared.

"Never mind. You haven't done anything too bad, so I'll replace your memories with business trips, and give you a job to ensure those memories. I would suggest getting to know your son better, though. You never know what he may do to you for not being there." Green lightning enveloped father and son, and then disappeared with the two.

"Where did they go?" Jeth had started to panic, knowing he would be next in his cat-daughter's wrath.

"They're at Machida's place. Neither of them remembers a thing about Creations or magic, so they won't be bothering anyone too much. I don't know what to do with you, though."

"Let me, Louise." Naoko walked up to her daughter and touched one shoulder. "This man tried to keep me alone four times and succeeded three of them. It's only fitting."

"Of course, Mother." The redhead could tell it would be difficult to choose her ex-husband's fate. Oh, the possibilities…

"I thought you said I could have him!" Naoko smiled at Muta, silencing him with a blush.

"I've thought of a better punishment than giving him to you. Louise, since the Cat's Eye made your body's DNA match your soul's, and he robbed you of your first body, I think you should do the same to him. Let's see what _he's _made of." Haru smiled a bit sadly, and gave her mother her newly padded hand, allowing the redhead full control over her father's fate. Haru lowered Jeth enough to the ground so that Naoko could touch his shoulder.

"I'm sorry." He whimpered. Naoko glared at him.

"So am I. For all the lost years. _As the soul is, make the body be; for now and all eternity!_" Clearly a flair for the dramatic ran in the family. A cream-colored energy flowed through the two women into the man, slowly glazing him over like a doughnut. His body stiffened, and he took a final unsteady breath.

Then he turned a sickly green, and fell to the pavement, splattering like Jell-O before the globs formed into several wart-smothered toads with a rancid smell.

"Hey guys! Sorry we're late!" Everyone shifts their attentions to a pair of cats, dark gray and white, standing in the entryway, the white one holding a bundle in both arms. They stared at the pile of toads, and then at the white cat figurine and human next to them.

"What on earth did we miss? Where's Haru?"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

"Hold it; why didn't you recognize Baron from the start, if you knew about his fiancé?" Lune questioned Naoko over slices of strawberry Jell-O cake, covered with whipped cream. The toads had long been transported to a nice park, and Baron had dragged Haru off for a private chat, leaving the red-haired woman to explain what had happened.

"I didn't know my favorite doll had a partner, although it does explain why her arm was bent at a funny angle."

"Why funny?" The small kitten in Yuki's arms started cooing, and she rocked it gently.

"Like she was supposed to have something in it; probably Baron's arm. I used to put tiny flowers in it so it would look normal. Back to the question, Mom never told me about Baron; I had to read her journals to find out anything. She and her boyfriend had spotted Baron in a café and wanted to buy him. The owner didn't want to do it, since Louise was getting repairs at the time, but they won on the condition that my mom would buy Louise when she came back from the repair shop. Her boyfriend returned to Japan, but promised to come back to Germany for her. It was really romantic, them promising to reunite when Baron and Louise did, but then World War II happened."

Muta took a huge bite before asking the next question.

"So they weren't able to find each other after the war?"

"That's what Mom wanted me to think, but her journal told a different tale. After the war, Mom came to Japan to look for her boyfriend. She looked for ten years, and when she finally found him, he was married to someone else, and had a kid."

"Ouch." Toto and Hiromi were feeding each other slices of cake while listening to the story.

"No kidding. She was so heart-broken that she wouldn't even return Louise to Baron, because she didn't want to ruin the ex-boyfriend's happiness, and they wouldn't be together if she had returned the doll anyway."

"Can't really blame her then, for not telling you." Muta placed a still-human hand over hers, and she smiled sadly at him.

"Louise was given to me when I turned twelve, and Mom made it clear that I had to be extremely careful with her. I was torn up when I couldn't find her one morning, and then my boyfriend stopped seeing me for no reason that he was willing to tell me. Jeth _did_ seem a little too pleased with himself when he was comforting me."

"Wonder if we could hunt down those toads," Lune muttered darkly, rubbing his child's cheek.

"What's the point? He won't be bothering us anymore." Naoko looked fondly around the pavilion. "I suppose this means that we can go back to the human world, but to be honest, I like it fine right here."

"Good thing too, since you won't be able to pry Baron off of your daughter, even if she wanted to leave." Muta helped himself to another slice.

"Any idea when they're planning on joining us?" Hiromi was answered by a loud shout from behind the Bureau.

"Louise!!"

Just like before, Haru came running into the pavilion, a sinister snicker on her face, and Baron in hot pursuit. Both are still in cat form.

"You can't say something like that and expect to get away!"

She called back to him, an evil smile still in place.

"You'll have to catch me before you can do anything about it!"

"With pleasure!"

The small group of humans and cats watched with amusement as the two figurines ran around the pavilion, the girl one laughing as they laced in between chairs and Toto's pedestal. Eventually, the orange one caught up to the white one, sweeping her into his arms and kissing her fiercely. The captive cat wrapped her arms around his neck in case he tried to end the kiss too quickly or something.

"Does this count as caught?" Baron asked Haru as she giggled and snuggled close to him.

"It does, and my answer is yes."

A look of sheer ecstasy swallowed Baron, and he squeezed the slim girl closer while she purred contentedly.

"Ahem." Naoko pointedly coughed, making the pair look over at their audience. Grinning broadly, the orange cat released the girl enough to link arms with her.

"Ms. Yoshioka, do I have permission to marry your daughter?"

"Why do you think I told you to start calling me Mom?" Naoko beamed as she embraced her daughter's fiancé.

"I thought you two were already engaged!"

Haru smiled brightly at Yuki.

"Actually, we were made to be engaged, and never be anything more."

Muta grinned.

"I see. You've just barely agreed to marry him instead of staying engaged!"

"That's right."

"What did you say earlier, to get him to chase you around like that?" Hiromi couldn't help but wonder. Haru grinned evilly.

"I told him I'd think about it."

"Haru!!"

"I know, but you should have seen the look on his face!" Louise started laughing again as Baron sneaked behind her to sweep her into his arms again.

"That _was _pretty evil of you, Love."

"Wasn't it though?" She cuddled against him again. "And just think; you just signed up for a lifetime of it!"

"But where are you two going to have the ceremony?" Her mother asked. The cat couple locked eyes.

"Good question. One human, one cat?" Haru asked. Her fiancé nodded.

"That should cover any objections on the legality of our union."

"Hold it; we're still celebrating your birthdays, and you want two more parties?" Toto was still recovering from this one. Baron shrugged.

"Why not? We could use a week or so to get everything in order."

"Isn't that a bit quick?"

Haru mock-glared at the ex-cat.

"Muta, we've been engaged for seventy-five years, three months, and eighteen

days!"

He nodded, stunned.

"Good point."

"Yuki and I will arrange the cat ceremony. You'll both want it small and simple, right?"

"That sounds wonderful, our thanks, Lune."

"One more thing." Haru slipped out of Baron's arms to approach Muta and Toto. "It's obvious that you two having relationships with my best friend and mother is going to get tricky, so I'm changing you both into shape-shifters. This way, the two of you won't have to come running to me every time you want to flirt."

Muta just grinned and gripped Naoko's hand.

"Thanks, Chicky, but I'm good with this form."

The red-haired woman blushed, but smiled happily. Toto stepped forward.

"I'm not quite ready to give up my feathers, so I'll take the offer."

Haru placed one hand on his shoulder, and his body glowed blue once more. After the cat-woman withdrew her hand, the dark youth shifted into his crow form. He then bowed low before the blushing blonde.

"Do you still want to know what it's like to fly?"

Hiromi nodded enthusiastically before climbing onto his back. He sailed around the refuge once before leaving for the open sky above mortals.

"Think they'll come down?"

Haru faced her fiancé, another grin slipping over their faces as they thought about the future.

"Eventually."

Baron held her close again, drinking in her presence. As they watched the crow fly higher into the sky, he suddenly remembered something.

"Just out of curiosity, Louise; what _does_ crashing on your couch mean?"

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Lots of love for; Watersoul the Head Star Walker, Rebel of my Destiny, Wolfinson, Sayrika, SweetRebekah, Drifting One, Astrianna, whitefang4ever, fairyMei33, Thundercat, Mily, and EarthGurdian for their reviews. I really appreciate all the feedback.


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